#Monster March 2024 Day 25 - Harpy/Moura

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024- Day 25- Harpy/Moura- Part 7

And more complications. And a good base for friendship and then more than friends. Also- there is a nod to Downy Bliss in here because it's my favorite laundry softener and scent booster scent.

Also there is a reference to chicken math. And that is where you have a flock of chickens and you end up having more of them than you originally wanted or had expected to have. Because leaving the feed store without baby chicks in the spring to help your broody hens get a chance to be a mom because you don't have a rooster is a thing. And it tends to follow like the fibonacci number sequence.

Moonlight Moura

Part 7

Come morning, you awoke to the feeling of someone brushing the hair from your face as you slowly came out of the deep, almost coma-like sleep to open your eyes only to see Nahlo there with Thyla. 

“Good morning.” You greeted happily as a smile soon spread over your lips to mirror the smile he was already wearing. 

“Good morning. So you need to sleep under the stars huh?” He asked. 

“Under the moon. Yeah. Which doesn’t make sense, mouras usually need sunshine, with the sunrise and the sunset being best. I don’t know why I need moonlight now. Must have something to do with the lightning. Probably. Most likely. Damned lightning.” You raspberried with a roll of your sleepy eyes as you closed them again which got Nahlo to snicker a laugh. 

“Did I worry you again?” You asked as you began to stretch as you began to fully wake up. 

“Nope. Thyla said you were on the safest spot on the farm. Although I did check Jenya’s chest first though.” Nahlo admitted. 

“Hmm.” You hummed with a grin. 

“So do I need to move your bed up here for the rest of the time that you’re here?” He asked. 

“Depends on the weather. If it’s going to have lighting and thunder and rain? Probably not. If it’s going to be nice and clear? Yes.” You answered. 

“Actually, I got just the thing for you, come on.” He invited before you got up and got onto Thyla with him to use him as another pillow as you put the pillow between you but wrapped yourself and him in the blanket as Thyla glided down to the ground softly before he showed you to a second storage barn where an interesting platform was built. Whose floor was a larger but thicker and sturdier circle of plexiglass as thick as your palm but would still allow sunlight through it even in the winter when the roof was folded up. 

“What’s this?” You asked. 

“This is what we put on the barn during the winter when there’s lots of snow and we don’t want the snow to cave in the skylight. Jenya and Daer have a future nest already built for when their clutch size is only a couple dozen eggs. It would fit into this like a mattress and the quilt to go with it would be a good blanket and we could put other pillows and stuff into it.” He offered as you played with the roof part of it that could either fold out or fold up. 

“I love it. It’s perfect.” You smiled. 

“Wait, you said during the winter. I just flew in the winter solstice.” You recalled. 

“Well for you it might be winter, for us, this is summer.” Nahlo said. 

“Oh, the opposite hemisphere, opposite season?” You guessed. 

“Bingo.” Nahlo grinned before he walked deeper into the second barn and got the special nest and the special quilt that was usually used to incubate the eggs and put it inside, you were very pleased that they fit very nicely inside it. Then you tried to put the blanket and the pillow you had been used. 

“Wait, don’t move in yet. We need to get all of this washed and dried before you use it. Because it’s been in storage for a while. You deserve a nice clean bed. Even if you’re going to be sleeping in, or on- the barn.” Nahlo stopped you from adding the pillow or the blanket into it as well as he pulled the two out, just to make sure they would fit right. 

“Oh, right. Thank you.” You thanked him as you simply wore the blanket like a big coat and still hugged the pillow while he put the pad and it’s quilt over Thyla to bring over to the laundry house. 

You watched in curious amusement how he put the two into two very large but separate washing machines and put the appropriate soaps in before he gestured to several large glass containers of what looked like wax beads. 

“Pick a scent for your bedding.” He invited. 

“You guys have…perfume…for your laundry?” You asked as you put the pillow and blanket down on a folding table to go up to them and open them. 

“Yeah.” He nodded. 

“Is perfume so cheap here that you put it into your laundry?” You asked as you sniffed down the line of glass jars. 

“Um, some kinds, yes. Other kinds- no.” Nahlo answered. 

“Like for your person expensive, for your clothes, cheap?” You guessed. 

“Yup.” He nodded as you hummed and continued to sniff the various colored pellets before you got to a pink one and nearly melted to the floor. 

“Oh by the five spheres does this smell amazing.” You fawned as you deeply inhaled the scent. 

“Yeah, that one tends to be a favorite.” He smiled, before you quickly sniffed the others but came back to the pink one. 

“This one. Definitely this one.” You said before he got huge cup fulls and added it to the soaps he already put into the washing machines before he got the corresponding fabric softener. 

“What’s that? More perfume?” You asked as you looked at the pink liquid he measured out and added it to the load. 

“Uh, yeah, that and it helps the fabric stay soft even after many, many washes.” He answered. 

“Huh. That’s wonderful.” You grinned. 

“Well if Neveah ever opens up for commerce between the colonies. Whoever sells this stuff is going to make a fortune, just, mountains and mountains of gold. We naturally add oils derived from herbs and flowers to our soap already. But this is…a thousand times better. Every moura woman from your southern pole to the north pole would come here and buy this stuff just so that her own home smells this wonderful. The laundry houses would be overrun with mouras doing their laundry daily to wash everything they can touch in this stuff.” You smiled as you practically wanted to roll in it. 

“Well, now I know what to send home with you. So that at least you can do that. You are looking much better today, that moonlight really helped.” Nahlo noted. 

“I feel better today. I would think hopefully with more nights like last night and days like the last couple. I’ll be set right in no time.” You appraised.

“Hopefully.” Nahlo mirrored. 

But the amount of batteries was much less today than what had been brought the day before. It left everyone scratching their heads about what to do or how to do it. So you were left to go around to the various dragon barns to repeat the process you had repeated before because there was little else to do while you waited for Nahlo’s workmates to try to find a way to drain the rest of your excess power that didn’t involve you going to the other islands and while you still barely glowed, Nahlo told you that in sunlight, it wasn’t really noticeable so you didn’t have to wear your hood or cover up with long sleeves since the temperatures were warming up. But it would all have to wait until the beginning of the next week because here in Neveah, they took the weekends “off” of work. Which left this weekend free for you to visit the rest of the dragon barns. Which was both a blessing, yet, in a way, a trap. Because at any moment, anyone could spot you and turn you over.

Alidore and his other unmarried brothers had been waiting on you at Nahlo's work again today. He was insistent that you come back to his family’s estate to spend more time with Aeleo. But thankfully Nahlo insisted that you would only go back once you had visited all others first. But that didn’t stop Alidore and his brothers from leaving you a large “gift basket” of items. Jewelry, made out of those same dragon scales. A heavy perfume and you fought not to crinkle your nose at. And a set of lotions and self pampering items. All in the name of “self care”.

You were at least gracious in accepting the gift but still shied away from any other physical contact than that of a handshake as you insisted that it was still very difficult for you to control all the excess electricity and you did not wish to electrocute him or his brothers or anyone else and that prolonged skin contact with you unless there were many layers of insulation between you and the other. Like the shells of the dragon eggs or the scales of the dragons themselves who were themselves- immune to you to a degree, just as you were immune to them. Because a dragon did not burn by dragon fire, nor phoenix fire. And neither did a moura. So while the dragons were safe to touch you in prolonged periods. No other being was. Or so you told Alidore and his brothers.

Thankfully though, by the time you had gotten home, the new steeple was over the dragon barn, and it seemed that everyone had a hand in helping you ‘move in’. There were even additions to it. That you could only describe as a hen lay box on the side of a chicken coop. And it was where you could store the Neveahan clothes and the electrum and begrudgingly put the contents of the gift basket into one of them too.

“Do you not like the items?” Cadi asked as she and Alie were inside of it with you to make sure it was comfortable for you. 

“I do not like the intent in which they were given in. This perfume is very heavy. It is fit for a Dorierran princess, not me. And while these lotions are nice, it is the same scent. And I have no idea what these other things are.” You admitted. 

“Oh, luxurious face creams, to help you stay looking younger for longer.” Cadi admitted. 

“Wrinkles are like rings of a tree, each one an accomplishment of surviving many years.” You contested. 

“Yes, but it is not seen that way here. In Neveah, a woman is seen as the most beautiful when she is your age and her beauty passes and fades after the bloom of youth.” Cadi explained as you frowned before you dumped it back into the basket and handed it to her. 

“Then you use it. I have no need or want for it.” You offered. 

“Oh, wow. Ok, thank you very much. That’s very generous of you.” She praised. 

“I received it free, your family is caring for me for free, your family is helping me for free. It only makes sense I would give as freely back to you all as you have given to me. Give everyone in the family some of it if you wish to. But I only see it as a trap set by Alidore and his brothers, looking to buy my affections with luxurious items, which only cheapens me in return. And I do not like the way that feels. Because if the affections were genuine, he or any number of his brothers would have brought me to the market to pick out my favorites from there. Or would have found a way for me to buy what I like for myself.” You admitted as you just sat down cross legged and looked at the basket as if it had been food left to rot instead of being sold for a decent price to the ones who had hungered for it. 

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Give me a spool of your electrum. We’ll sell it to those who want it for a fair price, that money will go onto a gift card and then you can use that card to buy what you want and what you need.” Cadi insisted. 

“Really?” You asked her hopefully.  

“Yeah, come on, it’s only late afternoon. We got all night. Let’s do this.” She insisted before you happily handed her the spool of electrum.

Then you grabbed little Alieanna and brought her back to the ground while Cadi got on Sephat to glide her and the basket back down to the ground. Then she gathered everyone and explained what the plan was and how to do it.

The family was happy and eager to help you. And even knew the best place to turn the electrum in that wouldn’t raise suspicions, a jewelry store that Alidore’s family didn’t own or run. And while you had to go to the other side of the mainland. You got ten gift cards because even they had limits on how much money they could contain as you tried to give one to Undilla and Sephahti for their hospitality and while they tried to refuse, you gave them the ultimatum of either taking one of the cards or one of the other spools. So they reluctantly but graciously took one from you. Leaving you nine more denominations of ten thousand dollars each. 

Then they took you to a store where you had many little hand held electronic devices and got you one of those as well before everyone passed it around so that they put into it a series of numbers into it. And they took pictures with it of themselves that needed no paint to make that attached their faces to their names in your phone so that you could “call” them and speak to them as if they were beside you rather than far away from you. Then they put things called “apps” on the phone so you could listen to music that had been played earlier but repeated the recording so that it sounded like the musicians were right in front of you and all around you thanks to several pairs of ��headphones.”

From there, they took you to something called a “shopping mall” to go on a “shopping spree” to buy things for yourself. Clothes, bedding, the same kind of “self care” items you needed and many more things that you knew you would like to have when you would go home. But you were more interested in what the women called ‘high heels’. Mouras made for themselves similar shoes for the dancing parties. 

Then they took you to a special store that sold cosmetics, and perfumes and other things and thanks to the dragons, being pack animals, you didn’t have to carry it all. And while you felt bad for using them for such a humble purpose, they were happy to do it, if only to stay close and continue to help you both learn the language and translate for you. But you loved the makeup and perfume store the most. And found many other perfumes that you liked that were, according to the perfume sales people, was actually opposite of what Alidore and his brothers had gotten you. Especially when you recognized the huge bottle that they had gotten you from you presumed was here and was the single most expensive thing in the store.

And while you were still too pale to match any of the foundations, you were told you didn’t need any for your ‘glowing’ and ‘dewy’ complexion. Which was fine, you were more interested in the eye makeup anyway. They called it “eye shadows”, powder pigments that you applied to your eyelids with a set of special little brushes. And they got you a “makeover”. And when you were done, you looked more or less like a very fair Neveahan. Which was good for blending in and the dragons as well as Nahlo and his family insisted that it was a really good thing to help you ‘camouflage’ and ‘hide in plain sight’. 

But then they took you to another store that had something called “bath bombs” special powder that fizzed and melted into bathwater. And that’s where you got the wonderful shampoo bars and conditioner bars for your hair and body that you didn’t need a bathtub to use. Those you bought so that for the next year, as long as you had water, you could bathe anywhere. Then the breadseed store. They had many kinds, and tea! They made tea from the leaves! That was epic and so delicious and refreshing. And even a proper dragon riding pack for travel and even special camping gear. Then the girls went and got your nails painted, so that your platinum pinkies didn’t stand out too bad and if anything, was cleaverly concealed. Which you appreciated and other than your moura collar, it was the only thing left that identified you as a moura. And even that was easy enough to pass off as a necklace.

Finally, you got a chance to stop and eat dinner out as you looked at the silverware and bit your lips and closed your eyes and grimaced before you picked it up and blew out a breath of relief that you touching it period didn’t change it to electrum. If anything, as long as your pinky finger was either held up or tucked under. It was fine. Then out of curiosity, you touched your pinky finger to it -and nothing happened. It was only until you actually thought about it and concentrated that it would turn to electrum then another touch and it turned back. Finally, you managed to have power and control over it!

“Good job.” Nahlo praised from beside you as you held the fork in your lap and played with it by turning it into electrum then back to steel again. 

“Thanks to you.” You murmured as you stole a quick kiss to his cheek before you hugged his arm as you waited for your food to arrive. 

“So does this mean we can go to the wedding tomorrow?” Shali, Nahlo’s younger sister asked hopefully. . 

“There’s a wedding tomorrow?” You asked. 

“Yeah, but we didn’t want to risk exposing you by going to it or bringing you with us. It may be too risky.” Sefahti excused. 

“Oh. Well I would hate to keep you from something you may have already agreed to go to? Shouldn’t your yes mean yes and your no mean no? If you’ve already told them you’d be coming, I don’t want to be the reason to keep the whole family from celebrating something wonderfully sacred as a wedding.” You reasoned. 

“But if you think it’s too risky, then I don’t have to go. I’ll be fine on my own with the dragons. You all should still go.” You added. 

“No, no. If you want to go, then you should go. We can still ensure you go do so safely.” Nahlo offered. 

“Really? It wouldn’t be too hard?” You offered. 

“Nope. All eyes will be on the bride and groom and the wedding party anyway. If you dress discretely, you will be just another guest.” Nahlo assured you. 

“Ok.” You nodded in agreement. Then you went to a special store to try on Neveahan wedding attire. But nothing quite fit you right and nothing quite looked quite right on you either. You were too muscular and too big to fit into the thin and skinny dresses of the native Neveahan women. You were put into petite plus size but even that didn't fit right either.

“How about I use my own moura cloak to make myself something to wear?” You suggested to Cadi as you pulled elements from the other garments and made for yourself something that was both Neveahan in style but also had splashes of Dorierran touches but something also moura in root. 

“What about this?” You asked once you were done. 

“That’s perfect. The number 1 question you’ll get is where you bought if from.” Cadi said. 

“I’ll say I made it myself. People still make their own clothes here, right?” You asked. 

“Yeah, usually they don’t look that good unless it’s a professional designing just for them. But that’s what that looks like. It looks like high end couture. And that a designer made that just for you.” Cadi praised. 

“But you just can’t go out like that or else the store clerks will think you’re stealing this dress.” Cadi offered. 

“Right.” You huffed as you put your other Neveahan clothes on over the undergarments your moura cloak became. 

“Did we find the right good dress?” The clerk asked once Cadi took all the dresses and hung them up. 

“Not today. We’ll try another store.” Cadi offered pleasantly. 

“Oh well that’s too bad. But good luck in your search.” She offered as you left. 

“No luck?” Nahlo asked.

“I’ll make my own.” You whispered to him. 

“Ah.” Nahlo smiled. 

“Well in that case, here.” Shali offered as she presented a stack of fashion magazines. 

“Ooh, perfect.” You beamed as you took them from her before you went back to Nahlo’s house and had to put your favorite items in the steeple with you. While everything else had to be put into the room in Sefahti’s house that you originally took up. The women in the family all took up seats around your room and drank wine as you looked at the magazines, your moura cloak changing with every picture you saw as they all rated each dress accordingly as Cadi had brought her full length mirror into the room so you could see yourself in the dresses too. 

“God, what I would give to have something like that- clothes that fit me perfectly and change at will.” Cadi praised. 

“But it’s how we were hunted.” You murmured rather distractedly while you flipped pages. 

“Excuse me?” Sefahti asked. 

“The first three hundred years after the convergence. My people were hunted, we called it The Great Hunt. One the ways we were first spotted was because our moura cloaks could change at will. So if anything, mouras have learned, that especially at weddings, where we were hunted by the dozen, to never change our moura cloaks once we first reveal ourselves.” You answered. 

“But Neveahans never hunted your people right?” Sefahti asked. 

“No.” You reassured her with a smile and a shake of your head. 

“Well hopefully you coming to this wedding will be one where you don’t have to worry about being spotted, hunted or otherwise.” Cadi offered. 

“Except by Haluma’s brothers.” You muttered as you turned the next page and didn’t even bother changing your cloak into that dress.  

“Yeah, they weren’t exactly subtle.” Sefahti agreed. 

“So maybe something like this?” You guessed as you got the ugliest dress you could think of as they started busted up laughing. 

“Ooh, ooh, this. Definitely this.” You said as you dressed in something utterly ridiculous which got them to laugh even harder. 

“Perfecto!” They all cheered. 

“What about this?” Shali offered as she was flipping through a different magazine and showed you one before you replicated it and all the laughter stopped as they all gasped softly. 

“Bad color? Too much?” You asked. 

“No, no, it’s actually, perfect. Like, perfect. The perfect color. The right style, the right cut and fit. It’s actually perfect. Any other doesn’t even…do you justice.” Cadi praised as she looked from the page to you. 

“So this is the dress I should wear? It wouldn’t stand out too much or be inappropriate?” You asked. 

“Nope. It’s perfect. You wear that and not only would you fit in, you would not outshine the bride or anything like that. And it would be perfectly appropriate. You would still be discreet, dignified, elegant, yet exquisitely fashionable.” Sefahti insisted. 

“But all you would need is perhaps a shall or a fur or something of something fashionable to cover up if you want to just in case, something you could leave at the seat that isn’t part of the moura cloak.” Cadi suggested before she and Shali both left as Shali went to her room next door and got the perfect light shall while Cadi went to her home and got a small fur shawl that would also be perfect to keep the chill of evening off you. 

“So should we show the rest of the family?" You asked.

“Nope, let it be a surprise.” Cadi and Sephati both encouraged you before the moon rose and your glow became more poignant. 

“Well it seems it’s time for me to go and rest.” You smiled as you could feel the moon’s pull even through the house, like the tides on the seas.

“Of course, good night.” They offered as you changed into something else before you left the house and flew up to the little space and unfolded the roof panels to reveal you and your nest like bed. Which you thought was really nice and soft and comfortable and smelled amazing and practically divine.

Then once you got comfortable, then the dragons soon joined you on all sides before you stretched your wings over them so the wings could continue to take in the moon beams, leaving you happy to share more skinship with the dragons themselves. 

‘She’d sleep better with more skinship you know.’ Jenya told Nahlo as he could only stand at a distance and watched as your moura marks continued to flow and intertwined with the dragons who slept around you. 

‘Mom, if he goes up there, that will be too much of a temptation for him.’ Thyla argued. 

‘Mouras have many needs, if he wanted to fill one, she’d be more than happy to receive help. But if you are worried that either she’d stay and continue to be in danger or that you’d follow her to whatever you both would want to call home and that's too dangerous then, yes, I could see where that would be too great a temptation.’ Jenya offered with a bit of chuckle. 

‘Nahlo, don’t listen to her. It’s still too dangerous to get too involved emotionally with her. Look around you, do you really think she’s worth giving all of this up for?’ Thyla asked. 

‘Thyla, don’t be giving advice in an area of life that you have no experience. If you meet the right dragon, you would happily give up a farm for him and whatever cave could carve out for you with his own claws and feed from any prey he’d kill for you while you’d incubate eggs on your own scales if you needed to with only the hides of the kills to provide further warmth.’ Jenya reminded her daughter. 

‘Nahlo, let Aurava rest. The moon is waning. She will only have less than a week of decent moonlight to feed her the way the sun should be doing during the day. Which means she will have less and less time to eat of moonlight than normal. Let her rest, and feed a hunger she will have a very limited time to satisfy.’ Thyla pointed out, rather desperately. 

“You’re right. She needs her rest.” Nahlo nodded and went back inside, much to Thyla’s relief. 

‘Thyla, why are you being an obstacle?’ Jenya asked her daughter. 

‘Because Nahlo is in danger of making enemies and mistakes out of acting on urges and instincts when he doesn’t fully give himself a chance to think it through and think it over fully. I just don’t want him to make a mistake in the heat of the moment that he would regret for the rest of his life.’ Thyla excused before she left to her spot that was right outside Nahlo’s rooms. 

‘Sure, a mistake. If that’s what you need to tell yourself to sleep tonight.’ Jenya dismissed before she laid down to sleep. 

Come morning though, you got a surprise. 

“Well good morning Miss Moonchild.” Came a masculine voice, you didn’t recognize as you woke with a start only to flip over to see Tristan there with two others as the dragons had already awoken and were trying to gently wake you up right as the sun rose over the horizon. 

“Damn it Tristan, this was what I was talking about. Moura math.” You groaned as you rubbed the last of the sleep from your eyes. 

“It’s ok Miss Moonchild. We won’t be staying long. Only to drop this off and do a quick examination.” The clearly taunston moura said before he handed over a translation book. 

“Oh thank goodness. Thank you so much.” You took it gratefully and hugged the book tight to your chest. 

“I’m Doctor Pallas Zhalis, I’m from Dorierra. So what happened?” He asked before you woke up Jenya to show them what had happened because that was going to be quicker than re- explaining it as they both started crying and hissing and groaning in pain and nearly bit their tongues in half trying not to cry out in pain themselves. 

“Oh by all the gods. That’s brutal.” Pallas coughed as he wiped his tears away. 

“You are the strongest moura I’ve ever known.” The other offered as he did the same. 

“And you are?” You asked. 

“I’m Doctor Atsu Ohnhip.” He offered as he shook your hand. 

“So now moonlight feeds you better than sunshine does?” He asked. 

“Yes. I don’t get it.” You shook your head. 

“And you don’t turn gold, you turn metal to electrum but not any other substance?” Dr. Zhalis asked as he pulled out a notebook and was writing as quickly as he could to write down everything he could. 

“Yes, well metal and other ores that when melted down usually turn to metal. This was once copper. Without wanting to or trying, the moment I touched it, it became electrum. The dragons here have riders who are helpful. One of the dragons- Thyla, Jenya’s daughter brought her rider Nahlo to me and brought me to his work, where he works with electricity. He’s been helping me drain my excess safely. He’s been my biggest help.” You offered as you showed them one of the spools and used your fingers to wind a few strands and snip it off and hand each of them a sample of it for testing, which they gratefully took.

“Good, I’m glad that at least we have dragons here who can help. But even they can not save you from everything.” Dr. Ohnhip warned you. 

“Which is what?” You asked. 

“I talked with the closest taunston fortress. The Neveahans are extremely advanced. But also very angry and spiteful they were pulled from their homeworld. They eagerly await every chance the spheres can have to separate. They like to live in a veil of secrecy with the threat that any other who tries to make contact with them, will be put to death. And will only accept a message from the fortress that they are attempting a un-converge. So far they have been even angier with every failure that we can only manage to attempt every hundred years. They do not want to share anything they have with anyone else. And any outsider is seen as a hostile invader. Honestly it’s a miracle you’re even alive on the mainland.” He answered which sucked the air right out of your lungs.

“And it would not matter if you could leave them a mountain of electrum. You’re non Neveahan. All your gifts, they would  be seen as blasphemous and that you’d be seen as the spawn of the evil gods. You’d be tortured and killed. And your hosts would be given the same treatment for even harboring you.” Dr. Zhalis added. 

“But I powered generators for them. I recharged batteries. Would they use me for such things, only to turn right back around and accuse me of what?” You asked. 

“Witchcraft.” Dr. Ohnhip answered as you just huffed in derision. 

“And wouldn’t the rest of the world accuse them of the same thing? They have machines to do their magic for them.” You said as you held up the cellphone. 

“They would call it science.” Dr. Ohnhip countered. 

“Which is only magic explained.” Dr. Zhalis contested. 

“So how do I get out of this alive?” You asked them. 

“Well for one, we can both make an official entreatment for your release if you find yourself in custody. Hopefully that would keep them from killing you outright. We can sue them for what you’ve given, claim you had no idea that your very life was being threatened by the people you gave such valuable things to.” Dr. Zhalis offered. 

“But what about my hosts?” You asked. 

“We can provide them sanctuary and asylum.” Dr. Ohnhip answered. 

“But I don’t want these people to choose their homes in foreign places over me, who is a stranger to them.” You offered. 

“Then you should leave, preferably now.” Dr. Ohnhip advised. 

“But I’m still overcharged and the outer ring of islands still pose a threat to me. They’re made out of an electromagnetic ore that after countless lightning strikes has turned them into metal. It throws off all senses of magnetism, even natural ones. They pull on me like I’m a magnet too. I would have to fly up before flying out. And surely that would be seen and be a bit suspicious. Besides I won’t be able to try to drain more power until the day after tomorrow. So wouldn’t it be better to stay? At least until I’m no longer over charged or at least no longer magnetized to the outer ring of islands?” You offered. 

“It would.” They had to admit. 

“So what do I do? What can I do to undo all of this?” You asked. 

“We don’t know. For now, we just need to take samples and test them. Hopefully we can do them quickly and figure this out.” Dr. Zhalis offered. 

“Thank you.” You smiled as you let take samples of your hair, your collar, your blood and a cheek swab before they did a full examination, which you had the dragons and your cousin exit the peak so they could examine you properly and privately. 

“Was this tattoo always white gold?” They asked as they saw the phoenix tattoo on your back. 

“No. My moura collar, my tattoos, all of it has turned white gold. Even my blood.” You admitted. 

“That is concerning. Once you are free of this place, please, come to the Taunston Fortress of Khas-Khahim, it’s the closest fortress and the one that has ever had any official exchanges with the Neveahns. But it’s where we can run more thorough tests and do more examinations.” Dr. Ohnhip requested. 

“And I and the other doctors from Dorierra will meet you there. It’s the closest Taunston fortress to Neveah. And the Neveahans will only have any interactions with the taunstons and no other peoples.” Dr. Zhalis informed you. 

“And they are in a word- strained. Very, very strained and tense.” Dr. Ohnhip murmured as he wrote down his own notes. 

“Does my family know I’m here?” You asked. 

“Yes. They’re coming as we speak and will be staying at the fortress.” Dr. Ohnhip answered. 

“Will you at least tell them I’m ok? That I’m staying with friends? That the moura dragons have not steered me wrong?” You requested. 

“Yes. We will. Just be careful Miss Moonchild. If you are in danger, do not hesitate to try to leave. Even if you have to blow your cover. Even if you put your hosts at risk. Don’t let their fancy technology just be a mechanical cage to keep you here.” Dr. Zhalis warned as you nodded in understanding. 

“I just wish there was a way to get all of this into this or at least into this.” You held up the phone in one hand and the book into another and then pressed both to your head. 

“Actually, I can help you with that.” Dr. Ohnhip said before he put his hand on your head then on the book and began to do an osmosis spell. 

“There.” He grinned when he was done before you opened the book and smiled when you could clearly read both languages before you started speaking nenani.

“I…I speak nenani.” You couldn’t help but cry happily before you also remembered your benar and gave them each one of them. 

“What such extraordinary benar.” They both noted as they turned them in their hands before they put those into their test tubes to travel back to the fortress. 

‘Are you ok Aurava? Are you leaving now?�� Thyla asked. 

‘Yes, I’m ok. And no, I’m not leaving, not yet. But could you please wake up Nahlo, I want him to speak to my guests, they’re both doctors here to give me the healthcare I need.’ You requested. And in a moment, Nahlo left the house before you, and the two doctors flitted down to the ground. 

“Nahlo, this is Dr. Zhalis of Dorierra, this is Dr. Ohnhip of the taunston fortress Khas-Khahim. Will you please tell them what you found out about me since you’ve rescued me from the outer islands?” You requested as Nahlo was shocked he got the pleasure of hearing your own voice speak his language only for you to be holding a translation book of his language and smiled that you were obviously a very quick learner. 

“Yes. When she touches metal, she changes it. She changes just about everything about it. She turned humble copper into the most, plainly, ethereal metal I’ve ever seen. While it does contain some trace amounts of what most metals test out to be white gold, as in equal parts gold and equal parts platinum. But for her, it’s half of another metal I’ve never encountered before. I’m a welder. I know metallurgy. I know all about every metal both from the old world and everything we’ve encountered here in the new one. And the only thing I can call it- is lightning metal. It’s able to hold it’s own charge, like a battery without it having to be a battery to a degree- if she so chooses. She can take away the magnetism of the strongest magnets we have." Nahlo began to list off.

"Is it dangerous?" They asked him.

"No. None of it is nuclear. So it’s not radioactive and neither is she so she’s not harmful to be around and now that she’s powered down, she’s not harmful to be around or to touch. But when I first got to her. She was so bright, like even through my welding hat and special glasses under those, she was brighter than the sun. She was holding over 50,000 volts within her being, closer to 60,000. She powered up our entire spare generator with 30,000 of those volts. I’ve only been able to drain another 15,000 with the battery bank and recharge the dead batteries. I would guess she has to have at least 10-15 thousand more left in her. But getting her anywhere that can take that kind of voltage without frying any other system. I’m at a loss. She’s magnetized to the outer ring of islands and Thyla barely got to fly her here. It was why her wings dragged on the ground when they were broken and with all the blood she lost in the crash. It’s a wonder she’s even alive." Nahlo appraised.

"And the benar are like little, they’re like little universes, all within the confines of them. They are a marvel and a wonder. But I’m more worried about any other looking at the electrum and her benar and see dollar signs, or think of her like their own limitless supply of money. Like all the other bastards thought when they saw her foremothers.” Nahlo admitted as he folded his arms in front of his chest and clenched his jaws while trying not to scowl too deeply which you found incredibly appealing and endearing because of how protective he was over you. 

And you tried not to grin too smugly or too schemingly when both doctors looked from him to you as you gave them a meaningful look again that you agreed with what Nahlo said.

“Are you and your family prepared for when she is found out? Because the longer she stays, it's no longer a matter of if she is found out, but when.” Dr. Ohnhip asked. 

“Yes.” He nodded. 

“Well all I can offer you and your family for serving as host and protector to one of our own is refuge and asylum, should your country turn on you.” Dr. Ohnhip offered. 

“Thank you. I doubt we will need it, but thank you.” Nahlo thanked him. 

“How much experience do you have with politics?” Dr. Ohnhip asked thoughtfully. 

“None.” Nahlo admitted.

“When she’s found out, I think you’ll see a side of your country you would prefer not to see and politics may be the only way she leaves this place alive.” Dr. Ohnhip warned. 

“I know.” Nahlo nodded. 

“How long do you think it will be before she’s found out by the authorities?” Dr. Zahils asked. 

“I don’t know. But I’ll try to keep her off the radar for as long as I can.” Nahlo offered. 

“Thank you. If there is anything else we can do or offer you and your family, please tell us or her and we will do all we can.” Dr. Zhalis offered. 

“Actually there is something. Promise that you will do all you can to at least save and care for the dragons, especially all of the ones here on this farm.” Nahlo requested.  

“Of course, that is a given.” They both agreed. 

“Thank you.” He offered as he shook their hands. 

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” They asked. 

“Not that I can think of right now. But obviously, I’ll make sure she’s exposed to much moonlight as possible.” He offered. 

“Yes. Thank you so much for your help, care and expertise and protection. She is one of a kind and very precious and valuable to her kind as a whole.” Dr. Zhalis said but the way he said it made you look towards him suspiciously before you could only subtly shake your head.

“Only until we understand what has happened to me and can undo it.” You insisted. But the look they gave you, told you that such a thing was highly unlikely. 

“We might be able to understand it, maybe someday. But I sincerely doubt we’d be able to reverse it.” Dr. Zhalis offered apologetically.

“Because who would want to reverse a profitable miracle.” You grumbled under your breath. 

“Well the sun is starting to distance from the horizon, you should both be flying back before moura math has a chance to duplicate again.” You offered as you hugged Tristan goodbye and then shook the doctor’s hands before you walked away. 

“She really does not want to be the victim of profiteering.” Tristan insisted with a fond smile as he watched you walk away with Sephat trotting beside you to keep up with your brisk pace.

“And I will do all I can to make sure that no one here can do that to her.” Nahlo offered. 

“We appreciate the effort. Even if your ability may not be as far reaching as most would hope for.” Dr. Ohnhip offered which got Tristan to frown.

“So how is she otherwise? Is she healthy? Still sick?” Nahlo asked. 

“She is better than we could expect her to be. But still malnourished in the sense of her not having the hunger for the appropriate light being fully sated and satisfied. The moon waxes and wanes and is- if anything, an unreliable source of food, especially for her. Since half of her energy comes from food, and the other half, the more important half being from light. She is a creature of it." Dr. Zahlis explained.

"And while she does have some incandescence, like the moon itself. As far as I can tell, it’s her own body’s way of trying to power down too. But with her being both overcharged yet malnourished, it’s like being on a heavily restricted diet while also preparing for a triathlon. The more she glows, the less excess she has, but also the more it costs the rest of her body and her health as a whole. But she can not stop it from happening. Like those who have restless bodies, their brains are tired and their bodies are sore and need rest but their bodies have an incontrollable urge to move, despite the rest of the body’s other needs.” Dr. Ohnhip explained. 

“Dragons, please, don’t translate what I’m about to ask.” Tristan requested of the dragons who stayed behind to help translate.

“Would orgasms help? Mouras naturally light up and glow and then fade during orgasms. So if she can find her release, at least a few times over, would that help?” Tristan asked before the two doctors looked at each other and seemed to have a private conversation with just their facial expressions. 

“Yeah, that would work. Do you know of anyone who would be willing to come here and service her?” Dr. Zhalis asked. 

“No. Because she won the Dorierran championship, beating out all other males, because of their bruised egos and because of their own sense of intimidation, she had no one interested in her for all three flights. She failed to pair or mate up. I don’t know if there was anyone anywhere else that simply didn’t get a chance to meet her or what. But as far as I know there were no other interested parties.” Tristan admitted with a shake of his head.

‘Nahlo’s interested. Shy but interested.’ Jenya answered. 

‘Oh no, nope, nu-uh. I will not have my rider be her fuck buddy only for her to fly away and never return or whatever. Neveahans treat sex as sacred and only shared between committed monogamous partners.’ Thyla immediately argued. 

“We would never ask your rider to do anything he was not ready and willing to do. If he wishes to bond with her to warrant that, then it will help. If not, then I’m sure we will find someone who is willing and able to give her the proper medicine she needs.” Dr. Zhalis reassured Thyla. 

‘Thank you.’ Thyla thanked him. 

“But what about moura math?” Tristan asked. 

“It would only be one plus one and not anything past that.” Dr. Zhalis offered. 

“Do you know what she likes?” Dr. Ohnhip asked. 

“She’s more for personality than looks. I have no idea.” Tristan shrugged with another shake of his head while he slyly gave Nahlo a once over.

“Well, let’s make the call and hold auditions then. There’s not much else we can do. We can offer mega phoenix.” Dr. Zhalis shrugged. 

“We could offer…anything else they would want.” Dr. Ohnhip shrugged too. 

‘Jenya, what’s happening? Why am I getting a really bad feeling about this?’ Nahlo mentally asked her. 

‘Mom, don’t you dare tell him. Tristan wanted this conversation to be private.’ Thyla insisted. 

‘Jenya, please tell me.’ Nahlo begged. 

‘You know that hunger I mentioned last night? The doctors are going to prescribe that it gets filled since it is a need that mouras have a very high hunger for. And it would help her not only feel better, but it would help drain excess power without costing her body more than just plain glowing by itself would do. Since Thyla does not want you to administer that kind “medicine” the doctors are going to be sending others to “service” her for that purpose. Which is something that Aurava will not want. Since she is not looking to simply have sex without any emotional attachment or meaning. But the doctors are brainstorming about what they can offer to any other male who would come to try. Basically looking for a male hooker for her.’ Jenya informed him as Nahlo felt like that just about gutted him and stabbed him through the heart too. 

“We have vibrators.” Nahlo blurted out before Tristan, and the two doctors turned to him to look at him strangely. 

“Since simply having you three here is already dangerous and having Aurava here is dangerous. We really shouldn’t involve more people into this than we need to. We have little devices that vibrate that can give women orgasms without needing a male and his penis to do. It would be safer and much cheaper to simply get her one of those.” Nahlo offered, himself a bit desperately because the thought of any other touching you without your permission or consent or will, was abhorrent to him. 

“Or that, that would work too.” Dr. Ohnhip allowed. 

“I can have my sister take her to a store that sells them even. So she can get one she likes and will work out best for her.” Nahlo added.

‘Honestly, that is probably the best solution here.’ Thyla insisted.  

“Yes, that would work out very well.” Dr. Zhalis nodded in agreement as Dr. Ohnihip nodded too. 

‘She’ll be ruined for orgasms forever because no other being alive makes his cock vibrate, but sure, let’s go for the quick and easy fix.’ Jenya spitefully huffed. 

“Ok, fine, they make dildos. That are very lifelike that don’t vibrate, how’s that?” Nahlo suggested. 

“Then that will just have to do.” Dr. Ohnhip agreed. 

Meanwhile you just glared out of the windows since Jenya had been letting you hear what was being discussed from where you were. And as much as you wanted to go out there and make them leave. They all had valid points. Even Thyla. And you could not argue with them, other than the doctors holding out auditions for males to service you. That’s the last thing you wanted. 

‘Tell them I’ll buy the damned fake cocks. I don’t want any other moura coming here.’ You told Jenya. 

‘I asked Aurava what she wants and she has agreed to buy a phallis to satisfy that particular need. She does not want any other coming here for that reason or purpose. She will find a mate on her own, the last thing she wants is pity, or for her mate to be bribed into liking her or much less mating with her. She is very against the idea. She has no other argument about anything else.’ Jenya informed them. 

And while Thyla was relieved, Nahlo wasn’t. If anything he felt embarrassed and ashamed for discussing such things which to him- were strangers without you being present to say anything one way or another. And he grew resentful that Thyla was interfering. Because if anything he was ready and willing to volunteer himself. But Thyla was adamant that such a thing was a bad idea. But if Jenya said that it would help, he didn’t care what it would cost him in the long run. He was ready and willing to even go that far to let you “use him” in that respect. 

‘Then say so to Aurava. Because she returns your feelings and quit arguing about it.’ Daer insisted as he mentally told Thyla to stay out of it from here, while encouraging the doctors and Tristan to get a move on because the sun was about to leave the horizon and that they were losing their window of safe travel off of Neveah’s mainland before Tristan and the two other doctors said their goodbyes and best advice about what to do and how to do it before they left and flew into the sun’s bright sunshine. 

“Aurava, I am so sorry about that.” Nahlo said as he came inside to help you prepare breakfast. 

“It’s ok. You were just trying to find the best solution. Thank you for even trying, even on a subject that you and your culture finds sensitive and private. I appreciate all your efforts.” You tried to assure him politely.

“But it shouldn’t come at the cost of your dignity or privacy.” He offered. 

“Thank you.” You thanked him gratefully and couldn’t help but nod in agreement while your cheeks stated flushed as you simply tried to focus on trying to get things started before anyone else got up and would come in on you. 

“So how should I bring this up with your sister?” You asked him. 

“Don’t, don’t worry about it, I’ll ask if you don’t want to.” Nahlo offered as he fidgeted with the edge of his own nightshirt. 

“No. I’m a big girl. It’s my own need, I will ask her for her help on how to fill it. I don’t want you to suffer any more embarrassment, especially on my part.” You insisted. 

“Then all you need to do is ask. Cadi is discrete, She’ll help you do it as privately and discretely as you would need her to.” Nahlo insisted before Cadi came inside. 

“Speak of the Devil.” Nahlo muttered before he walked back to his room to get dressed for the day. 

“Did I walk in on something?” Cadi asked. 

“No, but she needs to talk to you privately.” Nahlo suggested to his big sister. 

“Okay…” Cadi frowned before she set her dish on the table. 

“Honey, keep the kids with you. Aurava and I need to talk privately.” Cadi requested of her husband, Adrian. 

“Sure thing.” He said as he kept their children in the livingroom to leave Cadi and yourself in the kitchen. 

“So, what’s up?” Cadi asked before you pulled her into the privacy of the pantry. 

“I had two doctors and my cousin come to me first thing this morning. They gave me a medical exam and came to the conclusion that my glowing is my own body’s attempt to drain excess electricity. But the problem is- just the act of me glowing is costing my body in all around health than it currently has to offer. So my cousin, suggested that I get myself to orgasm because moura have a natural phenomenon that our moura marks glow even brighter during intercourse. And it was suggested that would be a quicker way to get me to power down than what my body would naturally be able to do otherwise. But the problem is- I don’t have a mate to do that with. And I really do not want those doctors or my already married with a kid cousin- to find me a mate, even if they had to bribe them to come here to “service me” here since I still can’t leave because I’ll be stuck to the magnetized outer ring of islands. So apparently you guys have something of artificial phallus’?” You explained. 

“Yeah, we do. Holy crap when did you learn how to speak nenani?” Cadi realized before you pulled the book out.

“I’m part taunston, I know how to speak, read and write tauni. One of the doctors who came was himself- a taunston and moura hybrid. He lives in the one taunston fortress Neveah has ever had or allowed contact with. So he gave me the book and taunstons are natural language learners and mouras are quick learners all around and the jump from marinai to tauni isn’t much of a jump at all and then to get nenani, wasn’t that big of a jump either.” You excused since you realized that Neveahns had a natural resistance to magic and that sounded like a reasonable “scientific” explanation. 

“Oh that’s awesome. Yeah, I can totally help you out with that. And honey, if anyone understand that sometimes a girl just needs a release and to get laid, it’s me. And finding a man who knows how to give her that release is even harder. Yeah I got you. We’ll go after breakfast, excuse it as us shopping for jewelry for you for the wedding tonight. We’ll be fine.” Cadi insisted. 

“Thank you.” You thanked her appreciatively.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024 Day 25 Harpy /Moura Part 6

Now it's time for some back stabby stabby.

As always, thanks to the wonderful @borealwrites for thier Monster March 2024 Prompt List

Moonlight Moura

Part 6

Axera woke you up right at sunrise so you could go and get the sunrise sunshine, which was supposed to be some of the best sunshine as you got up and flew up to the roof of the dragon barn and spread your wings to get the sunshine. 

“There you are!” Your cousin Tristan said as he flew in from the horizon and practically tackled you to the roof as he hugged you tight as you welcomed him into your arms and cried in relief, as he peppered your face in kisses because his last flight was your first and incidentally, the one where he met his new wife who just had a baby as you were visiting him and his family for your last solstice flight. 

“Come on, we gotta go!” Tristan encouraged you as he tried to pull you into the air. 

“I can’t leave.” You stopped him as you pulled back. 

“Shit, what did they do to your collar? is this why you can't leave? Are you sick? Did these people do this to you?!” He asked in horror to see it changed. 

“They didn’t do anything to it! Lightning did.” You revealed. 

“You got struck by lightning?” He asked in surprise and shock.

“Yeah, I did. And now I’m glowing like the damn moon. Everything metal I touch, turns into electrum or white gold instead of yellow gold. I was as bright as the sun at first and would have blinded people for miles if I wasn’t magnetized to an island with an electromagnetic core surrounded by fog as thick as pumpkin soup!” You explained. 

“Now thankfully there are moura dragons here and they are taking care of me. But it’s the people here who are helping me drain excess power from me so hopefully I don’t glow like the moon and don’t electrocute everything and everyone I touch. Once I get better, I’ll come back. But I can’t do that yet. I would fry every electrical grid anywhere and everywhere else. The moura dragons here helped me find some really good people who are helping me, feeding me and sheltering me and hiding me in plain sight from any other who would mean me harm. But right now, I have to rely on the dragons to translate everything I say. I know our taunston relatives made translation books for all the peoples who converged onto this supersphere. Please, I need a translation book if not from marinai to the language of the Neveahans, then from tauni to the language spoken here. For you know I can speak and read and write tauni. I want to be able to talk to my hosts and not have the dragons tell or show more than I want them to or more than they should." You begged.

"There is something dangerous here. And with as protective as the moura dragons are, and with as protective as my host family is. Means that me being here is dangerous and that there is something bigger than them that is a threat to me. And I need to know what that threat is, because otherwise the Neveahan dragons would not have told every moura who would listen to stay clear of this place. Please. I can’t leave this place because I’ll be stuck to the outer islands again like a magnet stuck to another one.  Because it was only a dragon’s flying strength that I was able to be pulled from the outer ring like an anchor from the watery depths. Please. Tristan, go to the closest Taunston fortress, ask them for help. I’m the granddaughter of a taunston, surely they would help me. And if not for family, then for a price. Surely electrum is valuable to them right?” You urged him before you put the electrum that you had made into a small stick and gathered into a small ball from the bath and made one larger palm sized piece of it and gave it to him. 

“Now please fly away from here and only approach me when I’m alone. One moura is one thing, I don’t want two to turn into more than that because with moura math is the same as chicken math, that’ll pull at least a dozen more here and they'll think we're the ones invading. Please. For Isolade’s sake and for little Trillinia, I can’t chance you being stuck here with me, please fly away.” You pleaded with him. 

“For Isolade and Trillinia, but I’m coming back with that book for you, and an explanation of what’s happened to you and how to fix you that doesn’t involve you being in the belly of the greatest beast of all on this supershere.” Tristan agreed as he took it.

“What do you mean by that?” You asked as you grabbed his arms to keep him from leaving as you couldn’t help but narrow your eyes at the words he chose to use. 

“I can’t say much more than that, I feel the dragons around  hearing our conversation. It would not surprise me if they are already alerting everyone here about my presence.” He said. 

“Then fly. Fly now.” You urged him as he flew away before anyone else could see him. You looked down into the skylight and saw that Jenya and Daer were- at least by appearances, fast asleep. So you could do little but watch Tristan fly north wishing you could fly back with him. But you didn’t trust the outer ring of islands to not pull you harder than you could fly and you couldn’t trust that you wouldn’t bring serious harm to anyone or anything if you were able to go home in this state. Dragon magic exceeded a mouras. And if Thyla was adamant that Nahlo, and his family and his talents with electricity could help, you had little choice but to trust her and take her word for it since Isla had apparently done all she could do. So you could only sit down and cry, feeling like you were watching the last of your kind leave you for you didn’t know how long, or if Tristan would ever be able to come back. With what you asked from him or not.  You watched him turn into a speck of nothingness in the beautiful sunrise that was not healing you or fortifying you the way you had grown used to it doing. 

But you didn’t get too much time to think about it before Nahlo, in a panic, came out of the house, calling for you with Thyla hot on his heels. Ah, that’s what Tristan was referring to. He could feel Thyla’s mind with his own and of course she would alert Nahlo. You could not find fault with her for it though. You leaving wasn’t in your own best interest, nor anyone else’s for that matter. 

“I’m here Nahlo, I’m here. What’s wrong?” You asked as you flitted down to the ground. 

“Oh thank God, you’re still here.” Nahlo said as he hugged you tight when you did. 

“Of course I’m still here. Where else would I go?” You asked as you hugged him back. 

“Home?” Nahlo offered. 

“It’s not safe for me to go home yet, remember? Right now those outer islands are like sharks circling a drowning land walker. I’m here until you say I’m no longer a danger to anyone else or anything else, or until you ask me to leave, or perhaps, when I’ve outstayed my welcome at least.” You reassured him with a reassuring smile. 

“You will never outstay your welcome. And I would never ask you to leave. But I will let you know the moment it is safe for you to go home.” Nahlo nodded in agreement and understanding before he finally and rather reluctantly let go. 

“Are you ok?” You asked him as you reached up to cup his face with your hand as you noticed it was hot and flushed. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Are you ok?” He asked as he either consciously or subconsciously put his own hand over yours as he looked deeply into your eyes, searching for how you were really doing. 

“Yeah, I’ll be ok. I have the dragons and I have you and your wonderful family. What else do I need?” You asked. 

“Your health?” Nahlo supplied. 

“Well, that’s why I’m here. Because like your dragon says, that if she can trust anyone to help, it’s you. And I was raised to always trust the dragons. So if Thyla trusts you, I trust you too.” You smiled. 

“Wait here, I must collect morning dew for the kids.” You offered before you swiped your thumb across his cheek before you used your wings to pull you up into the trees as you flitted to the various fruit trees around the farm and created morning dew from all of them, making little edible coru clouds from each one before you returned to him, carrying a pack of them that were as big as yourself. 

“How many did you get?” He asked. 

“As many as I could. I figured the whole family would want one of each kind I could get.” You said. 

“Here, you try and tell me what they will think.” You offered him an assortment that you had made just for him which made him happy to take from you before he ate the first. 

“Orange tree.” He noted when he took a bite of the first. 

“Very good.” You grinned. 

“How do you manage to get the taste and the scent to be in all one sensation?” He asked. 

“It’s all just particles in the air, that most can’t really see with their eyes, but that their other senses can pick up on. I just pick up enough of it for you to both taste and smell it at the same time and that it is the same intensity that most find appetizing and appealing.” You shrugged before you walked with him back into the house with the others as you put a bundle on each place setting at the table while the other members of Nahlo’s family got up while Axera got out of your room and left the house to eat his own breakfast from the barn with Thyla, who was still angry with him about something as you watched as Thyla was quick to snip and snap at him. 

“Did I pick the one dragon on Neveah that Thyla can’t stand?” You asked Nahlo as he noticed you watch them walk from the house into the barn. 

“No. There are many more she hates much worse than him.” Nahlo grinned as you could tell that Jenya was up and doing the translating for you while the sub adults came to the barn to eat with her and Daer. 

“Why does Thyla hate Axera?” You asked. 

“You’d have to ask her because I don’t know.” Nahlo shook his head. 

“Jenya?” You called out to her. 

‘Thyla was just trying to be obedient to my mother, that’s all. Isla wanted to keep you close.’ Jenya answered. 

‘Because not all Neveahans are good Neveahans who mean me- no harm?’ You questioned mentally. 

‘Yes.’ Jenya admitted. 

‘Which ones should I look out for?’ You asked. 

‘Anyone in a uniform.’ Jenya warned. 

‘Ok. Anything else?’ You asked. 

‘No.’ Jenya answered. 

‘Understood. Will you please tell Thyla that my visitor this morning was just a concerned family member, and should be the only one I should have, hopefully until I can leave under my own power?’ You asked her as you showed her the exchange you had with Tristan that morning. 

‘Of course, I’ll let her know.’ Jenya reassured you. 

“Thank you.” You thanked her as you did your best to help prepare breakfast for the family as you were surprised when most of the family came in, each carrying a dish they had made for breakfast and soon the table was filled with dishes as it had been the day before for dinner as it seemed everyone pitched in which you really liked and appreciated as the whole family was delighted with the edible coru clouds on their plates as Manidore was the last one up but the first to devour the coru clouds. 

“Best dish for breakfast.” Manidore praised with a charming smile and a wink. 

“Not exactly filling though.” You offered as you happily got to eat to your heart’s content out of the vast array of dishes that were made and passed around the table, this time, not worrying about turning anything into electrum because the same serving spoons were used both for dinner and for breakfast and were already electrum. 

“But leaving us all hungry for more.” Manidore praised. 

“Then eat some real solid food to satisfy your hunger. The sun is burning off all the dew so it would be hard to make more right now.” You urged him as you pushed the dish that was between you closer to him since it was not hard to discern his true intentions, which you could not be any more disinterested in. 

“When you’re done eating Aurava, we should get going to the plant to drain more excess from you.” Nahlo insisted as he sat beside you. 

“Of course, I promise not to shred my clothes today.” You tried to offer with a meaningful grin. 

“I wouldn’t mind.” Manidore muttered under his breath as you could practically feel Nahlo’s hard glare at his younger brother as you flushed with Manidore’s implications. 

“Then you won’t mind mending them will you?” Nahlo insisted. 

“Nope, although I’d want to get more measurements.” Manidore offered before your moura cloak became a harness of tape measures over the clothes you were currently wearing before you pulled it off of you and handed it to him. 

“You better write down the numbers before that becomes what it really is.” You instructed him as Manidore raced to try to write them all down as you grinned, rather smugly as you mentally let the lone feather slowly revert back to its natural state the moment he had written down the measurement before he was left with only a feather but before he could marvel at the feather itself, you called it back to yourself. 

“Excuse me, I need to get ready.” You excused yourself from the table once you finished all the food on your plate and walked back to your room to get changed into the Neveahan clothes. 

“What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you just ask her to strip right here at the table.” Nahlo sneered rather hatefully as he grabbed his plate as well as your own from the table as Safahti took the paper from her son’s hand. 

“And that will be the only piece of her you will touch. You shame us by being so forward with her. She is sick. Have some decency.” Sefahti insisted before she smacked him upside the head. 

“Get dressed and ready for work.” Undilla urged his sons. 

“Yes Papa.” They answered before the family slowly began to clean up after breakfast as you were already outside somehow and with Thyla. 

“Ready?” You asked Nahlo when you saw him leave his house and with his gear. 

“Yes.” He answered before you got into Axera’s saddle while Nahlo got into Thyla’s while Manidore got onto something else. 

“What is that?” You asked Nahlo from Axera’s back. 

“A car. For when people do not wish to fly.” Nahlo answered. 

“Why does he not fly?” You asked him you were happy to take to the air with Axera and himself as you saw dragons from all over take to the skies. 

“He is waiting to get married first.” Nahlo answered as you frowned in confusion. 

“Why?” You asked. 

“Some dragons find their riders before their riders have to ever find them. And some wait to find a dragon to ride, until the dragons return from their rite flight and choose to pair up with another on Neveah, and usually most young adults will also wait to choose a marriage mate after that process too.” Nahlo explained. 

“So he is waiting for his future bride to pick her dragon and that dragon to pick a mate before he choses one and when he does, he not only gets a wife, he also gets a pair of dragons.” You concluded. 

“Something like that.” Nahlo nodded. 

“But not you?” You asked. 

“No. Thyla’s always been my dragon since the egg, isn’t that right girl?” Nahlo asked as he patted her neck. 

“So what will you do if she choses a moura dragon after her rite flight, go wherever she will settle down?” You asked curiously. 

“We’ll see.” Nahlo answered with a hopeful smile. 

‘Or more like he’ll have to decide between who owns any dragon who wants to be my mate.’ Thyla informed you. 

“I see Thyla, so Axera is definitely out of the running. Good thing I chose Axera to ride for the time being huh?” You grinned. 

“No she didn’t mean it like that.” Nahlo was quick to correct. 

“No, Thyla was quite clear, there is no misunderstanding her.” You grinned as you waived him off before you landed at the site where others were already waiting in line with many vehicles filled with batteries. 

‘Here are the children of the people that take care of my parents.’ Axera introduced you to a small group of people. 

“Sali.” You greeted them from behind your scarf and hood so you hoped that you didn’t glow too much to scare them off. 

“Sali Miss Moonchild. We understand from Grand Dragon Isla that you are a friend of hers, that you are here because you are sick and are needing healing?” Axera’s usual rider Haluma asked from her glittering and sparkling dragon armored clothes only meant to show off her lithe body. She had less body fat than you did. And barely any breasts, but what she did have seemed to be padded and puffed up to accentuate them.

“Yes.” You nodded. 

“Then why aren’t you in a hospital?” Alidore, Haluma’s brother asked. 

“Because I’m not Neveahan. And I don’t know if the doctors who are used to treating Neveahan patients will be able to help someone with different biology. But thankfully Nahlo understands what afflicts me and is helping heal me. Because even I don’t fully understand it.” You admitted lowly. 

“Oh, right, of course. That and you may not have any official documentation or identification. Other than what Grand Dragon Isla can vouch for. It’s probably best if you get the help you need as quietly and as discreetly as possible, so you can hopefully go home soon.” Haluma offered as there was something in her voice that you caught and a sense about her that didn’t quite sit right with you. 

“Yes, for now, thank you so much for allowing Axera to fly me around. Although if you’re needing him back for anything. He should go home if he’s missed or needed.” You offered as you tried to offer the bridal to Axera back to Haluma before Alidore was quick to offer you the bridle to his own dragon instead. 

“Only if you will take mine in his place. Surely you should not be left without a mode of transportation and we can’t expect Thyla to fly both of you all around.” Alidore offered as he exchanged the bridals as he was dipping his head to catch and keep your gaze as you gave him a small, polite smile. 

“But I don’t know if your dragon speaks my language that well. Since Axera’s been my main means of communication as my translator, but obviously, there are others who have followed me that speak my language very well and can be my means of translation and transportation. And they all assure me that they are happy and willing to take Axera’s place and give him a break if he wants or needs it. And I do not wish to inconvenience you or leave you a way of not having the means of transportation around your truly marvelous country.” You tried to graciously excuse as two more dragons eagerly put their heads over your shoulders and were eager to try to both claim you as their riders which you couldn’t help but laugh at their playful overeagerness. 

“It’s not an inconvenience at all. It’s been a privilege and an honor to have you ride one of our dragons. Might we invite you over for either lunch or dinner? Supper? Evening meal? Whatever you may call it?” Alidore asked hopefully. 

“I will defer to Nahlo’s opinion. For I know we will have a lot of work to continue to work out how to cure me of my ailment and affliction.” You excused. 

“Of course, Nahlo, you and your family are more than welcome to come as well, really, the whole family.” Haluma was quick to offer. 

“Axera told Miss Moonchild that his father is a friend of hers. And I know he will wish to see her the most. So, dinner would be nice. Thank you.” Nahlo caved with a polite smile. 

“Oh of course! Of course, yes he hasn’t stopped talking our mother’s ears off about it.” Alidore insisted. 

“Just, make sure that none of the utensils are metal. Her ailment means she is very reactive to metal. So ceramic or wood would be best.” Nahlo suggested. 

“Of course, we will make sure that nothing metal is even on the table.” Haluma offered with a charming smile and doe eyes as you realized, that’s what she was upset about. She wanted Nahlo. And she did not want you to be any kind of obstacle in that endeavor, which you thought was interesting. Perhaps it was that reason that Thyla didn’t like Axera, because what Thyla really didn’t like was Axera’s true rider and Nahlo didn't share Haluna's attraction.

‘Bingo.’ Thyla told you telepathically. 

“Axera, please don’t go telling all my secrets to people who are strangers to me. If I want them to know anything, I want to tell them myself.” You asked Axera. 

‘Wouldn’t dream of it my friend.’ Axera reassured you.

“He’s been a very good dragon. Please, feed and treat him extra well.” You requested sweetly of Haluma and Alidore and their other brothers and sisters as you shook their hands. 

“Of course, of course.” Alidore assured you. 

“We should get in and see what we can cure today.” Nahlo urged you to come inside. 

“Axera, I will let you hunt whatever you want if you will tell me everything.” Alidore said once you and Nahlo had set foot inside with the other dragons following in around you. 

“And what I want to know is- is she really an angel from heaven?” Haluma asked Axera. 

‘No. Far from. She is flesh and blood and quite a bit more. Enough to make gaining her as a friend worth your while.’ Axera grinned back. 

“Good, now let’s go to the market and find you a proper breakfast.” Haluma beamed before she hopped onto her saddle and flew over to the market to get Axera some good ol fashioned bribery to get him to tell them anything and everything they wanted to know about Nahlo’s new guest. 

Thankfully the other people Nahlo and Manidore worked with were actually very kind and very helpful and were relieved that you had stayed and would continue to work with them to drain your excess power from you as they all had brought in extra battery chargers with them, all of them leading to a plug for an outlet that you would hold before they connected every kind of battery they could. And then, like waves of the sea. It was just you holding the plug for only a few moments before the other batteries almost instantly regained their full charge and had to be changed out for others. And changing out the batteries took longer than charging them did. 

Thankfully, today, Nahlo and the others had a steady supply of food, delivered from every restaurant that would deliver food there. All so that you could just simply eat with one hand and charge with the other while you made sure they took breaks to eat and drink and refresh themselves too.

But after 8 hours of this, the line was empty, but you still glowed, like a full moon through a layer of clouds at night as you could only blow out another breath of relief yet subtle disappointment that while it had continued to help, it still wasn’t enough as others made calls all around both the large nation and the surrounding smaller ones to see who had need of electricity to store but Nahlo insisted that the magnetism of the outer rings was still too great of a threat, and that they find solutions here on the mainland that didn’t involve too much supervision by anyone who would ask any questions that would endanger you being here illegally. 

“Illegally?” You repeated to Thyla. 

‘By Neveahan governmental standards, you are an illegal alien in every sense. You came here without legal permission by any other country that Neveah recognizes. You have no identification paperwork or cards. According to the official Neveahan government, you aren’t even here. Isla is keeping your presence a secret from them. And right now, Nahlo is afraid that when you go to Axera’s family’s farm your safety will be threatened because Axera is likely not to keep your confidence. In fact it wouldn't surprise if he's sold you out in exchange for a chance to hunt and kill his own lunch.’ Thyla explained. 

“So he is afraid they will find out I'm here illegally?” You asked worriedly. 

‘Yes. Nahlo and Manidore are afraid that if Nahlo doesn’t take Haluma’s flirtatious advances and that if you do not accept Alidore’s that either of them would turn you over just to spite Nahlo and his family. You saw Axera, he’s very handsome. Axera and all the other dragons at that farm are jewel dragons, their scales are meant for jewelry and more luxurious coats of armor. Which you've already seen because Haluma refuses to wear nothing but the stuff, even as uncomfortable as it to her sometimes.' Thyla explained. 

“Ah, entitled and used to always getting what they want.” You surmised. 

‘Yes.' She confirmed.

"Why does Haluma like Nahlo though? Is it the tattoos?" You asked her softly.

'Yeah. Tattoos are forbidden in Haluma's family but to Haluma, Nahlo is some kind of irresistable bad boy. And yes, that tattoos only add to that image. Otherwise she has almost every other guy on the island drooling over her and her rich family. But not Nahlo. He sees it all for what it really is and while they may be rich in house, estate and money, they are piss poor in ethics, honesty, and decency.' Thyla revealed.

"Ah, so she is poor in all the ways I'm rich and I'm poor in all the ways she's rich. So she is threatened by me." You surmised.

"Exactly. But Haluma has always wanted what she can't have. And because Nahlo has gently and politely refused her advances in the past, instead of going elsewhere, she's become obsessed. Like stalker obsessed. Which is why Nahlo works one of the more humble jobs that is quite dirty and hard work. Things that Haluma and her family wouldn't be caught dead doing. They rely on thier machines to make their jewelry and pluck the scales before they're even ready to be fully shed, all to make deadlines, to the harm of thier own dragons until they bleed from the plucking." Thyla shuddered.

"Like a bird having it's pretty feathers plucked." You surmised.

"Exactly. And if they come to know that you make electrum. They would be the first to have turn every speck of metal on that estate into more electrum. And try to marry you as soon as possible to keep you there like your foremothers.’ Thyla warned. 

“Then why did Nahlo agree?” You asked. 

‘For Axera’s father’s sake. But if you show his father the pain you’ve endured being in this state- maybe he will dissuade them.’ Thyla offered. 

“I see.” You nodded in understanding before Nahlo approached wiping the sweat of his brow after getting the last of the batteries back up to the people waiting outside.

“We should get home and get cleaned up for dinner.” Nahlo came over as Manidore had already left to go home to do just that. 

“If you felt uncomfortable about going to Axera's farm, you could have declined.” You offered. 

“I didn’t want to deny you seeing old friends.” Nahlo tried to excuse.

“Not if it will cost you- your peace of mind and the peace of your heart.” You countered. 

“Then perhaps, in the future, lunch visits will be best, short and sweet and an excuse to leave to go back to work when things even venture into being uncomfortable and more dragon orientated.” Nahlo offered. 

“Yes, that would probably be best. I trust you to keep me safe and sound Nahlo. And I trust Thyla to do the same and I trust Grandma Isla. Thyla told me I’m illegally here. And it would be best if I stayed off of sonar.” You supplied. 

“Radar.” Nahlo corrected with a grin. 

“Radar, yes.” You agreed as you mirrored his smile. 

“So do you think going to Axera’s family’s farm will expose me and threaten my safety?” You asked as you lowered your voice and took a step closer to him. 

“It should be ok, as long as Axera’s father sees and feels your painful truth. That you are here by accident and it is only by Isla’s protection that you are here on the mainland.” Nahlo answered as you nodded in understanding. 

“Then lead the way. I will follow wherever you will go.” You offered as you took his arm and hugged it as he was happy to have you there as he was happy to put his hand over yours and lead you out of there with Thyla and Sephat and the others, who had taken Axera’s place with you, who Thyla liked much better than Axera. For one thing, Sephat wasn’t nearly as boastful and egotistical because he was more drab and more meek and mild. And 2- because he was drab and to other Neveahans, ugly, he was seen as undesireable and practically unrideable by Neveahan standards. But he was getting the hang of taking you as a rider and learning to translate your meanings instead of pure word for word translation. And for all of these things, you really liked and appreciated about him too. There was a quietness and a gentleness about him that you found soothing too. 

You flew Sephat beside Thyla back home where everyone was hurriedly trying to get ready. 

“Thank you all so much for helping me visit the other moura dragons around Neveah. I really appreciate it.” You thanked them as you were quick to try to help them. 

“I’m just happy that you aren’t going alone and that all of us can come with you to keep an eye on things and keep you safe.” Sefahti smiled gratefully.

“You are glowing much dimmer today. I take it, today was much more successful as far as curing you is concerned?” Cadi offered. 

“Yes.” You smiled happily. 

“Good.” She and Sefahti both smiled happily before they finished and tried to help you get ready by doing your hair at least, while your moura cloak provided a beautiful dress, which they claimed was perfect, simple and elegent and sophisticated for the dinner party as they simply let you borrow a cloak to wear over your clothes to conceal your state until you could get into the house.

“Ok, we will drive, you fly. Keep the dragon as close as you can.” They offered. 

“I will.” You reassured them before you got back onto Sephat to fly with Nahlo who actually looked quite dashing and regal in his more dressy clothes. 

“You lead, I follow.” You urged him. 

“Ok.” He smiled as he took to the air and flew with you to Axera’s family’s farm which wasn’t actually too far away. Thankfully.

But the moment you landed, and got off of Sephat, it was clear that Axera’s family’s caretakers had pulled out all the stops so to speak. Their houses were practically all mansions, all connected by elaborate walkways and hallways until it looked more like one huge palace complex. Their barn was also palatial. And you were taken on one side by Alidore and his mother on the other as they were quick to usher you inside and down to a meal that only equaled that of Dorierra's. There were more pieces of cutlery than you could ever think was needed for a meal. And servants, lots and lost of servants. And dinner was actually a 30 course meal. Each plate only having a few mouthfuls worth of food on it. But beautifully and artfully plated delicacies. Thankfully Alidore's mother was right there beside you to walk you through what to eat what course with and what to do when and made several comments about how you ate all the food off of every plate put in front of you. You were quick to point out that you were actually sick and the more food you ate, the sooner you would recover. Which was the only reason she allowed it. The men of the family of course were "allowed" to finish all the food off of their plates, the ladies, barely ate half of what was there.

All while Nahlo was sat down all the way on the other end of the table with Haluma practically glued herself to his side and in a dragon scale dress that left very little to the imagination. You could tell that Undilla and Sefhati weren't exactly thrilled to simply sit and listen to her talk on and on and on about herself and only herself and never really engaging them in coversation and interrupted them every time they tried to cut in. Which, mouras could be chatty too. But they at least had the decency to not interrupt other people. You could sense Nahlo only tolerated her presence as he too didn’t appreciate or like her own forwardness.

But seemed all of Alidore’s brothers were seated around you with Alidore's grandfather sitting at the head of the very long table. You barely could keep up with their questions about you and your family and where you were from as you could see Thyla wasn’t happy about Axera’s attentions either as she tried her best to keep up with helping you and your hosts communicate serving as your translator since Sephat was still learning but making an excellent effort nonetheless.  

And while you enjoyed the food, it was the company that was overwhelming you with their "charms", flattery, fishing for compliments in turn, and attentions as you noticed that all of them were eating with pure gold silverware while you were grateful for your wooden handled utensils.

You tried so hard not to touch anything metallic. Everywhere you looked was gold, platinum, crystal, marble, ostentatious and over the top. The family was eager to talk about how great and prosperous their business was as their farm didn’t even bother with herds, simply bought what their dragons wanted to eat from the market every day so that they could dedicate more of their lands to buildings and lavish gardens. Even the children were expected to be little adults. No loud voices, no outbursts, no misbehavior, and wholly unnatural.

Which was a sharp contrast to Nahlo and his family’s farm that was much more of a homestead style and geared towards self sufficiency which you liked and appreciated much more whereas his own family was similar to your own, where kids were passed around and everyone loved everyone and between giving each other a hard time and teasing, it was always in good fun and never malicious.

But not here. There were undercutting remarks and inside jokes that weren’t funny and didn’t make sense and you could tell Alidore’s grandfather was the patriarch of the family. As even he was trying to be ‘a warm father type’ but his true nature could be clearly sensed. He practically ruled his family with an iron fist. His grandchildren were practically all kissing his ass while his other children, while showing reverence, there was so much resentment there too. 

But once you finished dinner and tried all the desserts, you simply asked to see Axera’s father, wanting to hurry up and meet him and sing to his clutch of eggs and get going and leave before they asked you the same intrusive questions masked by pretty words and flattery, asked at least six different ways, wanting to get either different answers or get to the core truths about yourself that you weren’t comfortable sharing with them.

You could only glance at Nahlo out of the corner of your eye and he looked just as uncomfortable as you felt but he was obviously trying to be polite and dip and dodge all of Haluma’s advances as you were trying to do the same from her brothers. Especially since every single one in Alidore’s family stared more at your moura collar than even your breasts or eyes. Which to you betrayed what they were really after.

Electrum.

Figured. 

The family reluctantly let you into the barn where Axera’s father Aeleo was as he practically was wagging his tail in excitement to see you as were happy to go up to him and hug his face for several long moments. 

‘Hello my friend.’ You greeted happily as you hugged his face tight and fought not to cry again. 

‘Hello my friend. It’s so wonderful to have you here, finally. Axera has told and shown me all that you showed him already. I’m so sorry you’ve had to endure that great pain and then to be here is both thrilling yet dangerous for you.’ He said. 

‘Because I’m an illegal alien?’ You guessed. 

‘Among other things.’ He agreed before he picked you up so you could sit on his snout high up in the air as you straddled his snout to talk to him, wordlessly, wanting to keep this conversation secret between just the two of you as Alidore and his family simply sat and watched on curiously. 

‘So what are the other things? No one will say. And it’s the fear of the unknown that scares me the most.’ You asked.

‘Well immediately? It’s this family that likes to tell themselves they’re my owners. You should be weary of them the most. I have forbidden Axera from telling them about the electrum. Whether he has obeyed me, I’m not sure. With all the airs they are putting on. I doubt it. I’m sorry I raised a dishonorable dragon that can not even keep your confidence when you are already injured and scared and vulnerable.’ He offered. 

‘So what will your caretaker family want from me?’ You asked. 

‘Every scrap of electrum you could ever turn. Both for their jewelry and to sell to everyone else. They would want your benar as jewels to sell the the royalty here. They would want to keep you in the same comfortable cage they practically keep me in.’ He admitted. 

‘And if I don’t give them that?’ You asked. 

‘It would not surprise me if they will turn you over to the authorities for a reward, which if they did that, I can leave this clutch with Halina, I will fly you back home myself before they could do that.’ He offered you. 

‘But I don’t want anyone here to think I only came to get the moura dragons and take them by force. And I do not want to make trouble for you, or your mate or any other child you have. Children are the future. You know that as well as I do.’ You urged him. 

‘Yes, that is true.’ He had to admit. 

‘Then can I trade blessings with you? A moura lullaby to help your clutch connect with you and your mate the way they connect us with our families?’ You offered. 

‘I would love that. But what can I bless you with in return? Please, tell me how I can help.’ He requested. 

‘Help me put a guard around my mind so that no dragon will be able to see or tell anything I don’t want them to see so they can’t tell anyone else.’ You requested. 

‘Of course. All that and more.’ He readily offered before he gently let you down back onto the barn floor before blowing a special cloud of smoke around you as you felt more safe and secure in your own skin and in your own abilities to get out of here if need be. 

“Thank you my friend.” You thanked him as you kissed his snout sweetly as he nuzzled you gently before he hugged you with his wing which got you to giggle as you finally let your wings out to fully hug him back before you pulled them back in and turned to his eggs and reached under the very pretty and extravagant nest quilt to touch them and sang the same lullaby, this time, making sure the tendrils stayed under the quilt and didn’t lift it but still wrapped around both Halina and Aeleo and their eggs to help them feel closer as a family. 

You let Halina see what you were showing the rest of her family. Halina was brought to tears to see that while you came from a very humble family, you were rich in every way that her own caretaker’s family was poor. Which was in their interpersonal relationships which always seemed to be transactional and not really that genuine, which was why she loved Aeleo. Who loved her, not for her pretty scales. Or her rich caretakers. But just for her and would be happy with her here or anywhere else in the world as she readily agreed that if her caretakers turned on you, she was moving to the colonies with this entire clutch once they hatched. Because she too understood what it was like to be seen as property and not a person in her own right, even though she previously was afraid to leave because she doubted she would get the same support anywhere else than where she was. But now, she understood it. There was more to life than big fancy barns and all the food you could ever want to eat. There was family, there was a sense of belonging and there was not a sense of obligation but a sense of actually wanting to help one another because you really, genuinely loved them. No ulterior motives. No veiled threats or punishments. No timelines and deadlines. No ‘do this or else’. Just pure acceptance as perfectly imperfect as you were and moving at your own pace with very little being planned but taking life as you wanted it. With as many days ‘off’ as you wanted. 

The song ended and you withdrew your moura mark tendrils, happy that the dragonets were happily sleeping in their nest before Halina pulled you close into her chest and hugged you as tight as she dared. 

‘Thank you so much for that precious and priceless gift. I too will help you get home if it’s the last thing I do. Even if I have to call your home mine too.’ She offered. 

‘You and your family would always be welecome.’ You offered her, appreciating the new gift of having truly private conversations with her and only her. 

‘I know it. That’s why we would come, as soon as they could learn to fly.’ She offered. 

‘Then don’t say anything, I doubt they’d be happy to let you go. You are investment to them. And I doubt your caretakers are used to seeing anything they’ve invested in- not make a return.’ You offered as you pet her pretty scales. 

‘We are here by choice. Not by force. And they haven’t learned the one thing all dragon owners should know.’ She insisted. 

‘Which is what?’ You asked. 

‘Never build with non fire resistant materials.’ She beamed. 

‘Well whatever you decide to do. Please don’t give them a reason to come after you and your family or me and mine.’ You pleaded.

‘No, I’d take lead them to Dorierra. Let those smug bastards spend the next millenia in ‘negotiations’.’ She chuckled as you snickered a laugh. 

“What so funny?” Nahlo asked. 

“Private joke between mouras and dragons, it would take longer to explain why it’s funny than it’s worth.” You waived off. 

“It was a pleasure to meet all of you. But I’m afraid I’m getting very, very tired and I wish to sleep in the bed that Nahlo’s family has prepared for me in their home.” You insisted to your hosts for the evening and got out of there before they could put up too much of a protest as Nahlo and his family were so happy and grateful you gave them a reason to leave as you even agreed to ride in a vehicle to keep from “falling off” Sephat on the flight home. 

“Ok, if all of them are going to be like that. I don’t want to do any more.” You admitted once you were in the safe confines of the car with Undilla and Sefahti which got them to giggle. 

“Us either.” Sefahti admitted before they drove home and you had Sephat take to the skies with Thyla so he would get back to the house so he wouldn’t have to run alongside the vehicle or fly over it as it traversed the many streets between the two. 

Once back at the house though. It was a delight to "dress down" and play a game before it was really bed time, something with cards and chips, like it was gambling but not actually gambling. But it was really fun.

“Thank you for giving me the worst cards of the deck. Truly I’m honored to have them.” You offered to Nahlo as he dealt the first hand after doing a "practice" game where everyone showed their cards and what to look for and what to avoid before you seemed to try to catch on before you played "for real" this time. But your comment prompted him to try to switch hands with himself before he would even see them. 

“I’m kidding. No, keep your cards, there is nothing wrong with trying to play the hand you’re dealt. No matter how awful it is.” You reassured him. 

“Well no one would be more of an expert on that than you.” He returned, although his tone was gentle in it’s teasing nature. 

“Thanks.” You laughed. 

“That’s the nicest sympathy without pity I’ve gotten for my unlucky streak that’s been hounding me for the last two years straight. Thanks. I really appreciate it.” You grinned as you organized the cards in your and by the symbols on the cards, thanks to Thyla helping you get them organized by what they were and how to do so. 

“What do you mean - unlucky streak? You’re here, you’re alive, you’re as safe and sound as you could be.” Undilla tried to comfort you. 

“True.” You had to nod in agreement. 

“But for curiosity’s sake, how do you see yourself as unlucky?” He asked. 

“Oh gee, where do I start?” You began with a laugh. 

“Wherever you want to.” He started. 

“Well to start off with. My first solstice flight was spent doing every flying trick and aerial acrobatic stunt I knew of. To the point I tired myself out so bad during my first flight, I lost weight just trying to get back to the host colony and I had to sleep in the sun for three days just to recuperate and then once I woke up, I had to practically eat my own body weight in food. And I barely had time to get back home and get ready for the equinox flight. Which took a little longer than an hour for me because I was anxious to get through so I was the first to try to fly through, before everything was fully into alignment and I nearly collided with the core which is molten magma and I got very close to losing my life over it." You began which earned several grimaces and winces.

"Yeah, and any reasonable person would think that after that brush with death it would have taught me to be a little wiser with my actions. But did it? No, instead it filled me with overconfidence. And for the summer solstice flight I spent the first half doing the same gods damn things I did in the first, which was to fly like a chicken with my head cut off, just doing every stunt I knew of and had learned and I learned quite a few from the new ones who came onto that flight with me, and they were just as immature as I was. I spent the entire time in Doreirra, not resting but expending even more energy in a fighting championship." You continued.

"Did you win anything?" Undilla asked hopefully.

"I did. I won my entire class and then I won the division championship. I got a trophy for it, and a special gift and everything." You answered.

"So how is that a bad thing?" Undilla posed.

"Because winning that championship- cost me everything. It cost me every chance I had at finding a mate. It cost me friends. It cost me the respect and bonds of friendship from my peers. To the point that the only ones who would even just fly with me were related to me by blood. And they in turn, lost prospects of their own for choosing to stay friends and family with me than embrace any new family they might have had if they hadn’t. So when I got back, once again, it was another three days of sleeping and eating and resting because I lost even more weight on that flight than I did the first which only made me look even younger and more immature than I already was.” You explained with an irritated scowl.

“And then on the fall equinox flight, I was the one who actually helped the newbies not collide with the core. By flying just above it in my mega phoenix form, my wings being the only barrier many of the other younger mouras had between themselves and being burned up in the core. So I spent most of that flight just guarding the others on the flight. And you would have thought others would have appreciated it. But instead I was looked at like I was an old maid and I was treated as if I was my mother’s age and once again- every chance I had of finding a mate was obliterated because I wasn’t the “young and fun” type, but the “old mother hen” type.” You continued. 

“And then of course the last and most disastrous of all, the final winter solstice flight, I spent all alone. On the edge of a V. Still never approached, never befriended. Nothing. So I’m either too stupid and immature for the wise, too old and matronly for the young, too strong for any other male who just happens to be weaker in physical strength than myself, too skinny to be healthy, too busy showing off to be discreet. Too panicky to be calm. Too everything wrong to ever be right about anything or right for anyone else.” You waved off with a heavy sigh. 

“And then I have my non moura family telling me that I just must be a late bloomer and should probably wait until I’m at least 30 before trying this again. But the problem is, is by then, most of my peers will have been parents and have 10 year olds of their own by then and I’m not exactly too keen on picking through any newly divorced. Nor any old bachelor who has yet to fly his own mother’s coop to go and strike out on his own and have some sense, any sense of independence or self sufficiency or self reliance or whose own sense of masculinity is too threatened by my own sense of self.” You explained as you simply followed what Nahlo was doing as far as betting went. 

Then you exchanged a card that Thyla told you to before you seemed to get another and she insisted that you needed to keep what you had and not take any more cards or give any away because with just that one card, everything came together but not to let on that you got a good hand. 

“Well that means that your mate must be extra special.” Undilla soothed. 

“And that is what every single person in my family has told me every single day since the fall equinox. Every. Single. One. But they add a huge helping of pity and patronizing with it. But thanks. That many people saying so means it should be true.” You smiled before Undilla simply set down his hand to show his cards before, like dominoes, everyone did, calling out what they had before you turned to Thyla to make sure you would say this correctly. 

“Something about a flush? Flush or blush?” You mentioned as you put the cards down and everyone all groaned, cheered and crooned. Nahlo doing the majority of the cheering though as he gave you a high five.

“It’s a flush. You got a flush.” Nahlo specified as he helped shoved the chips into your area as you began to pick them up and stack them up. 

“Flush. Like a toilet?” You asked. 

“Yeah, same word, different meaning though.” Nahlo countered. 

“Well it looks like it means the same, it flushed everyone chips into my area.” You noted with a barely contained shit eating grin which got everyone to burst out laughing. 

“And flush like blush, because now all of you are doing that too. So flush.” You pointed out which only got them to laugh even harder. 

“Yeah, I think she’s figured how to fit in just fine around here.” Undilla beamed proudly as he reached out and pat your back. 

“Aww, thank you Papa.” You thanked him sweetly before he cupped your cheek then pinched your nose which got you to laugh. 

“Now you get to flush.” Undilla said as you blushed prettily before you passed gas. 

“No, I’m good.” You as they all practically fell out of their chairs while Undilla started laughing so hard he farted too which his farts smelled downright awful before everyone started to evacuate the area. 

“You guys are nasty.” Manidore waived off as he tried not to gag again and just walked off.

“This was fun. Thank you for showing me the game.” You offered as everyone was in the process of leaving the table and ending the game to go to bed. 

But now, as much as you wanted sleep, your body was still quite hungry for sunshine before some moon beams came in through the window and your wings automatically moved to try to catch them. 

“Really? Moonbeams?” You muttered to your wings before you grabbed the pillow and the blanket and slipped out of the window to fly up the roof to the dragon barn where you could lay on your stomach and fully stretch out your wings to capture every moonbeam as that hunger finally seemed to get filled. But honestly, you were too tired to care as to why your body now craved moonlight. You were just happy to finally get that hunger sated as you laid out over the actual skylight which was made out of a particular substance that was clear like glass, but wasn’t, actually glass. 

‘They call it plastic or plexi glass, clear like glass, but much more durable and less prone to break.’ Jenya supplied seepily under you. 

“Thank you. Goodnight Jenya.” You thanked her as you were happy to wrap the blanket around you, leaving only your head and wings open as your wings naturally laid over the whole skylight so that as the moon traveled over the night sky, it would catch it all night long and feed you while you slept before Sephat and then all the others flew to the roof to take up a side all around you so that you wouldn't fall off of the barn in your sleep. As you felt much better, being surrounded by dragons, with your wings over them like large solar pannels. And with all of them so close, it was the skinship your body craved and the warmth your soul needed to finally get some good and truly restive sleep.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024- Day 25 Harpy/Moura - Part 2

Moonlight Moura Part 2

Sorry for the delay but hopefully this is worth the wait.

As always, thanks to @borealwrites for their Monster March 2024 Prompt List.

Part 2

Come morning though the storm had stopped and the fog had partially cleared to reveal you were in a cave - on an island as you marveled at how bright this cave was.

But that was only before you looked down to notice you were the source of the light. You looked like you were emitting the same light as an angel of midheaven. Or even the sun. But you could see, even through all the light how you were battered, beaten, bruised and bloody. You looked down to see your form burned into moss itself. 

You looked up at your surroundings and could see writing and drawings of all kinds on the cave walls, and usually such things would interest you. But currently, you were in far too much pain on account of your broken wings that would not recede into you and you could not transform into any other state as you tried to leave the cave, your wings dragging on the ground behind you as you did so as the fog immediately receded the moment you came near. The light that was immitting from you was like you were made of lightning or the sun itself. 

But above you, the fog was still so thick, you couldn’t make out where the sun was, only that it was day but because the fog was so thick, none of the sun’s healing rays could reach you. You just knelt on the ground and cried, benar falling from your eyes for the first time in your short life as the gravitas of your situation hit you just as hard as you had impacted with this island last night. 

You were lost. 

You were alone. 

You were abandoned and hurt, what felt like mortally so. And you didn’t know what had happened between you and the lightning but you felt it crackle and flow through you like your own blood did through your body.

You felt like one big injury, an open wound exposing a whole nerve to the open air without skin to protect it. All you could do was scream and cry out in anguish as it consumed you. You felt like at any moment you were going to bleed out and die.  You were going to die all alone and without anyone you knew or anyone in your family knowing where you were or how to rescue you. You ignored how the very ground you knelt on scorched and sizzled while your benar fell from your face and scattered onto the ground. 

Suddenly the ground thumped as several large, heavy things landed around you, just outside the ball of clarity around you and you could hear the heavy breathing and sounds of dragons as you blew out a breath of relief. 

“Dragon! Dragon please! Help me! I’m hurt, please help me and heal me!” You called out in your native tongue of marinai before the dragons tried to come in but they had to keep their eyes closed because of how bright you were. 

But they were horse sized and were wearing bridals as their riders soon began to yell at them to back up into the safety and concealment of the fog. But you couldn’t and didn’t understand their words.

But you understood their tone.

They were angry, wrathful even.

You realized, these must be Neveahans and riding Neveahan dragons. You couldn’t help but cry harder because at any moment any of them could simply kill you. You were broken and exceedingly vulnerable and honestly, for them to do so would put an ending to your suffering. 

‘What happened to you young cousin moura?’ One of the young female dragons asked you telepathically before you replayed the memories you had of the events that led you here before the yelling quit and there was an eerie silence. All you could hear was the dragons and their breathing before you heard the riders talk to each other quite softly, this time their tone completely different but you couldn’t tell if they were morbidly curious to see you before they would kill you or wondering perhaps what ways they would have to use to do so. You looked around and realized you were completely surrounded by them as you could sense the other dragons and their presences surrounding you.

"Please, if your riders are incensed I am here, please, tell them I mean them no harm. Nor do I mean anyone else here any harm.. I just need to get to the sunlight to heal so I can go home. That’s all I want, is to go home! But I’m hurt. My wings are broken and I hurt all over and I can not even heal myself and I’m bleeding. I can barely stand, let alone walk. Please, help me. Please, don’t let your riders kill me. Please. I just want to go home!" You called out in a desperate plea to every dragon around you. 

‘You are very sick because of the lightning strike. We don’t know how to help you since we ourselves are only subadults too. We will go home and talk to our elders who are from the moura colonies, surely they will know how to help and how to heal you. For now, we are taking our riders bags and will try to push them towards you so you can use what is in them to feed and water yourself and to dress your wounds. You are as bright as the sun and it is painful to look at your form. You are so bright you would blind many for miles around and even being this close is like being next to a giant fire for you are radiating an intense heat that is hotter than even dragon fire and hotter than even the sun. It is a miracle you are even alive and did not burn up in the lightning itself.' One of the male dragons informed you.

"For now, just rest. We will not let anyone hurt you or harm you- cousin moura. There is a cave nearby, take shelter in it, for we don’t know how long it will be before we can get an adult here for most of the adults are incubating their clutches. But we will speak to the elders of the dragons to see what we can do. But they are far too big to be here without crushing the island for they are very, very large.’ The first female dragon told you before you heard leather and scales sliding together before each dragon had a bag in it’s mouth and gently threw it towards you, while keeping their eyes closed tightly so as not to go blind in doing so but could only do so in short bursts because of the heat you radiated. 

“Thank you. I will do all I can to wait. It’s not like I can go anywhere.” You thanked them gratefully as you simply hugged yourself as your tears lessoned the benar finally quit appearing and falling from your eyes.

‘You’re welcome. You will be ok, if you survived a lightning strike, surely you will survive long enough to be healed. We will be back as soon as we can. You are not alone, cousin moura. For you have us and we will protect you from all further harm, even if it means turning on our riders. We will find a way to heal you and fly you home ourselves if we need to. Even if we must keep a distance right now because of your state. We will figure this out. Please, just try to hang on long enough to do so.’ The female reassured you as they all did their best to reassure you. 

Then they all flew away together and you felt all alone again. You went over to one of the bags but the moment you tried to eat any of the food, it burned up in your hands the moment it touched you and what didn’t burst into flames, was simply torched and the metal clasps on the leather bag- melted in your hands too and turned from steel to electrum in your hands, the same way you could turn just about anything else into gold. And the electrum behaved just like moura gold in your hands. You just cried some more as your benar returned to your eyes and just  looked over at the other bags and knew that they would meet the same fate. You picked up a rock and were relieved when it would not turn into a piece of electrum metal in your hands. So you went back over to the pool of electrum that had fallen from your palm and fingers and shaped it into a stick to carve out a message in the dirt around you. . 

‘Everything I touch burns and the steel clasps changed into this electrum- in my hands. I will not touch the other packs for I do not wish to harm them or their contents. Thank you so much for trying to help me, even as dangerous as I am now. Please, tell your riders and the natives that no other moura is as dangerous or as harmful as me. I was careless flying too close during my last winter solstice flight. Please, forgive me. Neither I or any other of my kind mean you and your lands any harm. Please, if I do not live to see you again. My name is Aurava Moonchild, I’m from the Loressa colony near the north pole. If my remains are still dangerous after I die, please, just dispose of them however you need to- to keep yourselves and your people safe. And at least the last thing I got to see was your beautiful country, shining like its own star constellation, with the halo of your beautiful southern lights. May peace and happiness be with you and your families for times indefinite. May my first benar at least be a parting gift if they are not harmful. And may your riders at least know that in all of the whole supersphere, all moura mean them no harm, and that they are freely welcomed in our colonies if they wish to venture out beyond their own borders.’ You scratched into the ground, your benar still falling down your face and tumbling down onto the ground as you didn’t even bother to look at them or pick them up. 

Once you were done writing your message, you abandoned the rest of the packs and made it back into the cave where even the mushrooms that were growing there burned away and the little pool of rain water immediately started to boil before it all steamed off the moment you touched it as you saw your body’s outline burned into the bed of moss. And as much as you wanted something soft to lay on. You didn’t have the heart to burn it all to do so. 

You were fucked. 

Plain and simple. You were going to starve to death and die of thirst before those blessed dragons could come back for you. Even your blood glowed and swirled with flecks of electrum like glitter in it as you could do nothing but glower at it. Realizing that even the iron in your blood was turning into electrum right in your very hands as you stopped holding your wounds, not wanting any flecks of electrum to get lodged in your heart or lungs or brain or any other vital organ and kill you that much quicker and more painfully. 

So much for living 500+ years. You were lucky if you were going to last five more days, let alone 5 more hours, perhaps even minutes. Well, at least you didn’t have a mate who was going to die with you. Just a family who were most likely going to take a year or two before they figured you were dead before they would mourn your loss and assume you were dead from the lightning strike and you felt that at any moment, you were going to die as more and more benar just kept falling and you didn’t even bother trying to pick any of it up. 

You laid down and tried to ignore the sizzling of the ground around you before you went back out and walked past the packs, careful not to get to close as you walked around them and simply found a small clearing and just laid down, with your wings outstretched as you glared up at the fog around you. Cursing it for being so thick that it kept the healing rays of the sun from you as you scoffed at how your pinky finger nail was now electrum in color as opposed to yellow gold. All electrum was- was a mix between gold and silver or platinum or other metals anyway. And while it was sturdier than pure yellow gold, and good for coinage and great for utensils and fantastic for electrical wiring because it was highly conductive. But electrum's other name was 'white gold'. So of course, even on the verge of death the curse of moura gold, even changed, was still with you.

But the fact remained. You were going to die here, the least you could do was do so with your face towards the sky. 

You waited until the sun obviously set because the ambient light that you didn’t emit around you soon waned and became dark before the storms picked up again and you just cried more benar. Because you knew it was only going to be a matter of time before you were struck by lightning again and would most likely die shortly as you prayed to simply meet your ancestors back on the homeworld in the afterlife. 

The rains however, were a welcome relief. When they fell, you closed your eyes and opened your mouth, hoping that they would fall in and quench a little of your thirst- which actually worked. You did get to drink some rainwater as it fell into your mouth. But the rest of your body, the moment the raindrops fell, they instantly boiled and dissipated from the rest of you. 

Then you opened your eyes just as lightning stuck you again. You expected pain. But instead you felt an odd sense of pleasure. As it wasn’t hot, but rather cold, like ice. And it was like the lightning began to touch you in slow motion as you reached out and touched it and it was like touching sunshine in winter, icy yet hot both at the same time. You watched in awe as this lightning bolt healed your broken wings and healed everything else as your blood soon burned off, leaving only electrum glitter on your clothes. The lightning even fed you like sunshine did.

And in an instant, you no longer feared for your life. You were going to be ok. You were going to live. 

But now that the lighting was touching you, it kept touching you as power flowed from it to you to the ground below you before you could feel the core of these islands.

Each outer island had a core of an electromagnetic ore!

And with the lightning strikes, the ore would heat up, become metal and solid and then instantly cool and with an outer shell of hard bedrock. The islands were well insulated from any life that would touch down here. You realized that after hundreds of years of lightning strikes, striking every night. Most of these islands had a solid core of electromagnetic metal, what kind you weren’t sure. But something strong and powerful and solid.

That’s why the storms formed and stayed here! That’s why the aurora borealis split into two streams to dance around the main large island continent of Neveah! And it was why after the southern lights flowed around Neveah like a large stone in a river, it rejoined after it flowed around it!

But because of your state. Now the electromagnetism of the island’s core had a hold on you. Which is why it felt like your feet were now planted on the ground and your wings were being pulled to the ground too. Like you were suddenly very, very heavy.

So, to escape it, you grabbed the lighting like it was a climbing rope. You were relieved when the pull was greatly lessoned and you now felt lighter than air once you stopped touching the ground. You used the lightning bolts themselves to move from where you were to anywhere else you wanted to go. New lightning bolts came to you like vines in the jungle. You used them to climb up this island and move from island to island and do so- so quickly- it was like time stopped because the rain drops themselves seemed to be stuck in midair as you happily scooped them from around you to drink more and fully quench your thirst. 

You used the lightning to travel all around the outer islands of Neveah in the ring of storms around the outer islands.

But to your utter gut wrenching disappointment, you could not leave them. It was as if the lightning itself was restraining you and keeping you here to the outer ring of islands. Because it was like the lightning had you in a collar or a choke hold or a harness or something around you. It did not matter how far you tried to use the lightning bolts out into the other storm clouds, or up into the sky. You could not leave the lightning bolts. And you did not dare to try to travel to the mainland. You tried to leave in any and every other direction. But the lightning kept pulling you back to the islands around Neveah. 

And in traveling around the main large island that was practically it’s own small continent, it was like time slowed down to barely a crawl as you used it to move around at speeds no other being, except for maybe the angels of high heaven or even the crystal angels of the crystal heavenly realm could do. And while you felt powerful using the lighting like this. You felt just as trapped and restrained by it all the same. It was now your blessing and your curse.

You could practically hear the fables being spun- a being of lightning haunting the outlying islands around Neveah. You were probably going to be the reason the winter solstice would no longer be held near the southern pole. Because even from a distance you could see the huge buildings rising from the ground and the lights and advancement in technology of Neveah. They were probably finding a way to kill you and keep you from being a threat to the mainland. 

So you went around Neveah again, looking for a suitable island to call home for- for however long you would have to live like this.

You could see how in other caves, there were those who were sleeping with the dragons who called the different caves within home. But some were sleeping with their dragons, in both senses. Which made you blush to see but not even mouras were immune to such urges. So you would not judge anyone’s love. If anything you wished them the best and all the happiness in the world as you moved on.

You kept mindful of what the dragons had told you, that you emitted light just like the sun and would blind people for miles around. So you needed to find another island within the area of thick fog and storms around the main island. So after looking at every single one, you finally found another island that had a section of it that had green foliage that you knew needed full sun to grow and was most likely taller than the fog usually settled during the day as you could then stay on the lower platform in the fog- but stick up a tip of your wing to catch sunlight during the day, out of the fog. That’s all you needed. Was just a piece of you to touch the sunlight.

Because otherwise, you could not leave. You went back to where you had written the note and explained the new change in you and drew a map of Neveah and marked where you had landed and where you were moving yourself to- thanks to the lightning’s help. But now, how you feared you were a danger to every living thing both in and out this place. And that if you were a danger to others, you would understand if they needed to deal with you however they saw fit to neutralize the completely unintentional threat you posed. 

Once you moved to the uninhabited island you chose, the lightning finally withdrew and stopped striking you or even anywhere close to you. But now, your wings were no longer broken or hurting you. And you weren’t in anymore pain. But you didn’t feel quite right either. Still like a burn blister that had popped, relieved of the painful pressure, but still a wound with an exposed nerve in a sense. 

You went to sit down under a natural overhang only to sit down and realize that you were sitting right on an exposed piece of electromagnetic ore, that due to this island’s much thicker layer of dense bedrock, had not been struck nearly as much as the others had been. You used your bare hands on a rockface where a ball of natural vein like ore was sticking out to move the surrounding rock to access the inner core of the island. Turning it all into electrum as you did so. 

But while it would still be conductive, it instantly lost its magnetism and you were not stuck to the ground and drawn the island’s core like you were on the last island. So you used your island’s core of electrum, which now acted like clay to fortify the island and then molded the solid electrum metal into a cave of your own. 

You were grateful you took pottery classes growing up because you used it to spend all night carving out a home out of it, like the land dwellers would use mud to form their homes from the very land they were residing on. All while making sure you didn’t compromise the stability of the island itself. You carved a hammock-like bed for yourself and you tried to make a space to collect water at least from the rain and used your wings to flatten and smooth the floor. But you couldn’t draw your wings back in either. 

“Damn it!” You cursed in frustration as you made fists with your hands in frustration but noticed your fists now grew their own little storm clouds around them. Like your hands were covered in wool! 

“Really?” You complained as you tried to wipe the clouds off but instead you instantly formed a coru cloud. 

“Great, now I figure out the trick to making coru clouds. That’s just great.” You sarcastically complained before you threw them onto your bed and they stayed there before you frowned and then sat on them only to discover, they were now like a pillowy cushion. 

“Oh thank goodness! At least I can now make myself a decent bed.” You smiled despite the situation as you repeated the process until you had an amazing canopy bed. Complete with distinct coru clouds that acted like a super thick but supremely soft mattress, pillows, blankets and other betting and then large posters to hang the curtain like canopy over it and made the canopy thin enough that it was easy for you to breathe inside and completely surrounded by the coru clouds.

And you found the perfect thickness that allowed the coru clouds to keep the light in! Because they were thick and dense enough to do so! Granted heavier than normal coru clouds but it was so much better than nothing. And you made sure the coru clouds would always be “off” so that they didn’t emit any light themselves but instead consumed the light’s rays like any other fabric.

The coru clouds you made were by far the thickest, densest but delightfully soft and cushiony consistency you had ever experienced. Most had the consistency of raw cotton. But yours was very distinctly heavier wool in feel and consistency. Like fresh, out of the wash and ready to be spun into thread wool. It made the most amazing, perfect bed and bedding for you complete with a small pile of various sized and density pillows so you could sleep either on your side, or your back or even on your stomach and still be perfectly comfortable and even use the pillows to prop up your body in any number of ways. 

Then once you were happy and content with the bed, you looked at the large entrance and realized, even with how you made this cave, the light you emitted would surely reflect off of the surface like a lighthouse. So you made a curtain of coru clouds at the entrance, hanging off a rod of electrum to conceal any light you emitted from outside your shelter so you would not blind anyone else beyond your own dwelling if they were to come to your proverbial doorstep while the water catcher was already catching quite the large pool of water, big enough to bathe in and drink for weeks from if need be. 

But what if the healer was a moura dragon way too big to fly to you? And you needed to go on the mainland to be healed by them? You needed to make yourself a garment out of coru cloud that you would wear over you, like a kid wearing a costume or something of a blanket over their body to “hide” during hide and seek.

So you also made for yourself a protective garment. Like a huge hooded cloak that would cover you from the tops of your wings that were above your head to the ground and would even drag on the ground just so that every time you took a step, light would not escape from the bottom. Just in case you needed to protect the dragons and their eyes and their riders and their eyes from you and your new form when they could and hopefully would come back. Surely a healer or a great moura dragon who knew and understood mouras with great magic or just something, anything, or anyone else could come or you could go to them and you could have the chance to be changed back to the way you were before.

You just needed to wait and be patient. At least the lightning could sustain you until then and hopefully they understood how to read marinai and could understand the message you wrote to them. 

You took the coru garment off and molded a special hook to hang it on next to the bed before you got into bed and closed the curtains, using yourself as your own light to see in the otherwise pitch blackness the coru clouds made for you. 

And at least the coru clouds were extremely comfortable and the bed you made for yourself was comfortable and soft and warm. And you could cover your own eyes with an eyemask made from coru cloud to get some glorious darkness for your own eyes and sleep as the rain hitting the metal of the electrum was actually a soothing sound as you finally got the much needed rest and sleep the rest of your body craved.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024 Day 25 - Harpy/Moura Part 1

Moonlight Moura Part 1

Moonlight Moura

Part 1

It was the winter solstice and you giddily  yet anxiously got ready to fly in the aurora borealis around the world’s southern pole whose colors were very different from your own since you were from a colony by the north pole. The north pole’s aurora borealis was always blues, teals, turquoises, greens and yellows. The tradition was to follow the moon around the world, flying in the aurora borealis as it did the same. The colony you were staying at was near the southern pole. And it was your first time flying in the southern skies since your colony was in the northern hemisphere. And most of you had come a few days early to stay with extended family here and you were still in a state of awe and amazement. Because the aurora borealis was the other half of the rainbow’s colors. Yellow was the same, but now it was yellows, oranges, reds, pinks, magetas and purples. It was absolutely stunning and breathtaking. Like a sunrise never fading into the day as the sunset still danced under the stars of the night. 

“Now, just remember, just east of here, around the small island of the southern pole there is actually the ring of Neveahan islands. And then there is the largest fo them, surrounded by many other islands that stick up like fingers and the main large one has a ring of fog by day, but a ring of thunderstorms by night that the finger islands conceal. The aurora borealis usually splits into two, so half the group will go either north or south of it to stay in the aurora borealis." He instructed.

"It also has its own dragons. Some of which have come to call this colony home. The dragons call it the Kingdom of Neveah. And while there are people who look like us on the islands, the dragons have warned us to be very weary. Because the natives are very aggressive and violent towards outsiders. With dragons and dragons only being the only beings to pass in and out at will because the Neveahns don't even leave their native lands which the dragons insisted came in it’s entirety from their homeworld. The native Neveahn dragons from their homeworld cast the spells of the fog and storms to protect the largest of the Neveahn homeland from any invaders since the convergence. So we can not land there. And I would encourage all to not land at all during the flight. We'll be safe the higher up in altitude we stay. Stay in the southern lights and in the flock and we'll all get home safe and sound.” The flight leader- Corraine reminded all of you as you all got the last bits of sunlight as it set in the west.

Then within moments of the sun setting, the full moon rose in the east and everyone cheered while everyone seemed to glow in the moonbeams as each’s moura marks surrounded them like a halo around their bodies. The southern lights soon bloomed and stretched out in the sky. You could do little except sigh dreamily, feeling like you would never tire of this sight as you looked east and saw how the aurora borealis did indeed join back together as you realized, the yellows and oranges stayed north, it was the pinks and purples that stayed closer to the south. Which was funny to you because it was always the darker blues and indigos and violets that stayed closer to the true north pole and then the greens and yellows that stayed closest to the equator. So just like a rainbow. If you had put where the south pole started, it would color the whole spectrum by the time it would get to the north pole. 

With everyone eating the last of their desserts, it was time to fly as you kissed your younger cousins goodbye and left your leftover desserts with them before you took to the skies. As you and all the almost countless others began following the moon as it rose in the east and would continually set in the west and the trip would be done when you landed back down here in only a short 8 hours as opposed to the longer 16 hours of pure flight that was spent flying around the equator. Small circle around a pole vs a larger one around the supersphere’s equator.  

The winter solstice and summer solstice was a moura’s coming of age ritual. When an individual felt they had fully matured into adulthood, they took part in the flights. Usually between flying either for the first time in either the summer solstice where the group followed the sun around the world, or in the winter, following the moon and flew within either the southern or northern aurora borealis near the poles. 

The summer solstice was always held in the colonies closest to the equator. The winter solstices tended to volley which pole they would take the winter solstice flight on. 

You had started your adulthood flight with the north pole flight. And after this one, you would hopefully find a mate among those who had either taken up this flight with you, or joined and ended between the three you had done. 

But not always. 

Because moura’s genetics had a half life here in this world. Not all mouras had the moura collar. And not all mouras could use said collar to transform into any bird form they wished to and enjoy the other magical properties of moura abilities. So those that did not, depended on either friends or family members to fly them to the host colony where the host colony would literally party all night during the flight and dance until their shoes fell apart or until their feet were sore and swollen, but never to the point of bleeding or breaking any bones. 

But so far, you were disappointed when no other seemed to catch your eye or your fancy. But there were still so many new people joining this flight, just like there had been with the summer solstice. Maybe one of them would by the end of it. 

But looking up at the sky, you rather loved the differences in the stars in the southern border and maybe a man from this very colony would finally be what you felt you were looking for all your life. 

You transformed into a missile hawk, because such birds could be the fastest fliers. And they were light and easy to fly and attain altitude but once you would be at a good soaring altitude, you would change into an albatross. Because they were the masters at soaring flight which, for this flight of endurance you would need that form because the strength you got from the moon reflecting the sun’s light was only half of what the sun was at full strength during the day. 

You had learned this the hard way. While missile hawks were best for fast, acrobatic, aerial and almost as dexterous as a dove or even a hummingbird, they weren’t the most efficient for soaring. You had spent your first flight in the northern lights as a missile hawk doing every aerial dynamic stunt and trick you knew of and learned many more from the others and even in the summer solstice flight. But you barely made it back to the host colony on that first flight and it was only because you were following the sun on the summer solstice as a mega phoenix that you had the energy from the sun to make it back and you had lost weight on both flights. And a moura underweight or skinny, was not a good thing. Mouras were meant to be plump but powerful. 

Perhaps it was that, that had the others showing disinterest in you. Because you were still young enough that you wanted to have fun, but lacked the maturity to realize that while having fun was good and important, when the end goal was endurance, wasting energy on stunts and tricks was perhaps immature and foolish. 

You followed the leaders who took up the skies to make sure everyone flew in one flock, with many V’s so that the tips of the wings picked up the updraft from the others in the front. While the younger juveniles practically flew in a ball behind them with the other half of the leaders taking up the rear, making sure that no one got left behind or got lost or separated. 

You realized, you had seemed to get the same idea as everyone else who had gone through the first two flights with you. To finally get into the form of large gliders, synchronizing wing beats so that all of you stayed at that perfect altitude which was the sweet spot for this flight. 

“So how long have you been a flight leader?” You asked Corraine as you gradually traded places with others in the V until you were right on his immediate left side. 

“Ever since my wife and I stopped having kids and retired from being parents in our last rebirth. My wife is actually in the rear. Most of the mates of the female leaders take up the rear to keep a motherly eye on the youngsters.” He answered. 

“Oh, that’s awesome.” You smiled fondly. He had looked like he was your father’s age but to know he was on his last rebirth, meant he was a few hundred years old already.

“Have you had the same wife this whole time?” You asked. 

“Yes.” He laughed. 

“And it’s been a wonderful 435 years being married to her.” He added. 

“Wow, so you were from the homeworld. Any advice you’d wish to share about being happily married for so long?” You asked hopefully. 

“Yes. The first bit of advice I can give you is to not expect it to be happy all the time. Finding a mate in life is just that. A mate. Someone to love you for you and for you to love them as them. As perfectly imperfect as they are. If you both come from different colonies, then that’s two cultures of traditions that you both have to respect and choose which traditions you wish to uphold and pass down. That it’s not just two people that are being united, but two families as well. There will always be inlaws, and friends and family. Hopefully you will be able to get along with them, and if not, try to find peace and balance. Find an equal in all respects. Do not let one have more power over the other. Do not give loyal love and devotion to one who won’t mirror that back to you.” He began. 

“And do not judge others based on their appearances or who they are, what they are, wherever they are. And do not feel that you have to pick a mate from others who are on this flight with you. And that if you don’t pick one by the end of the flight, you won’t find one at all. I get more panicked singles in the last flight than anything else because they feel desperate to pick a partner because they don’t want to be alone or be single forever and they want a mate more than anything else and they are desperate for any mate instead of the right mate for them. You have at least 500 years of life ahead of you. Don’t feel you have to find your mate to spend it all with- on this flight over the next several hours. Hell, take two or three years, go to every colony in the world if you want to or need to. Take as long as you want and as long as you need until you meet every single member of our brethren. Who knows? Your mate might be in the most unlikely of places and may be of a different peoples altogether than moura. Don’t limit yourself now that your horizons are fully opened up. You have your moura collar and your abilities. Your own possibilities are endless.” He encouraged you as you felt a calm and a peace fill you and wash over you with such tender loving reassurances from him, like you were a granddaughter or even a great, great, great granddaughter to himself, 

“Thank you for your wise counsel, I will take it to heart.” You thanked him graciously before you switched places with another, hoping they too could receive the same advice as you now stayed on the southern most edge of the flock to enjoy the pinks, magentas, purples and violets of the southern most portion of the aurora borealis. Because mouras flying in it looked like little white fireflies as they moved with the winds and the waves of the southern lights. 

Over the flight, instead of doing everything you could to meet everyone taking the flight with you. You just stayed on the edge of a V and really enjoyed the southern lights. You really loved the different star constellations that twinkled in the southern hemisphere’s night sky above the southern lights. You were told by the others who were native to this hemisphere, what the names of them all were as you put each one in your memory, paying the ground hardly any mind at all as you did so. 

“Ok, everyone fly tighter now, either pick a group, left or right. We’re about to pass over Neveah’s largest island and we need to fly higher to fly over the storms!” They urged you as you watched as storms seemed to encircle the island nation that glowed with it’s own electric light in the middle. Looking like it’s own little constellation of stars surrounded by storms. 

But apparently you flew too close to observe such things because before you knew it, you were engulfed in fog then storm clouds as you realized, you were now all alone and surrounded by a storm cloud before a lightning bolt struck through you. Only an instant later, the thunder clapped around you and you fell like stone out of the sky. 

Thankfully, just as you regained consciousness, you realized you were about to impact with an craggy rocky outcrop and immediately transformed into your angelic state, a human with angel wing form and curled the wings around you and turned all your outer feathers into plate like armor to protect the rest of you and the force of the impact crushed and broke both of your wings as you bounced and rolled from one outcrop to the next like a ball during a carnival game, trying to land into a basket from being thrown or dropped down an obstacle course. 

You finally landed and stopped moving before you faintly felt the downpour of rain and managed to drag yourself with your broken wings behind yourself to a cave before you collapsed on a bed of moss just inside the cave.  

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024- Day 25- Harpy/Moura- Part 8

The good, the bad and the ugly.

As always, huge thanks to the wonderful @borealwrites for their wonderful Monster March 2024 Prompt List

Moonlight Moura

Part 8

You got into Cadi’s car with her as her grandparents watched her kids as she took you to the store as you just looked around in awed curiosity. 

“Have you ever seen anything like this before?” Cadi asked. 

“Yes, but usually ours in the colonies, they’re made of polished stone or very heavy glass. So these are familiar.” You noted as you gestured to the kind that were like that. 

“This looks so real though.” You appraised the others. 

“Touch it.” Cadi urged you with a giddy smile. 

“That feels so real!” You realized as you touched it and began to wrap your hand around it. 

“It’s cold but otherwise it looks like someone just cut a guy’s dick off.” You noted. 

“Yeah, and the great part of this, he’s hard as long as you need or want him to be. And you don’t actually have to be committed in a relationship to enjoy it either.” She praised. 

“Yeah, if Neveah ever opens up for commerce, this store would be sold out within minutes.” You murmured as you appreciated the sizes of them. 

“What orc was here to let you use his cock as a mold?” You asked in a hushed whisper as you stared wide eyed at the largest specimen they had. 

“Oh, no orcs have ever been here, that was just someone’s imagination, making this as big as could safely fit inside a body. But most can’t fit that big of a cock in their vagina, but in an asshole instead.” She explained in a low whisper. 

“Ooh, makes sense.” You nodded in understanding. 

“So you’ve had sex with an orc?” She asked. 

“Yup. It was just a…oh…how would you say it. In my language it means one night of sex and nothing after.” You explained as you tried to figure out the word. 

“One night stand.” Cadi supplied. 

“Yes, that. There is a clan of orcs from the interior that come and sell leather and furs to us and other things. They’re really nice. And like barely a few strokes in, I was done for. Because at that point, everything is stretched out to the max and it doesn’t take much to get all three pleasure spots to get their due stimulation and it’s all over. He teased that he could tell when the mouras visited his village, because at night, the houses would light up like fireflies. Because mouras light up like a firefly when we cum.” You explained. 

“Wow, you have three pleasure spots? We only have one.” Cadi realized. 

“Really? Where?” You asked. 

“Come here, I’ll show you on this right here.” She brought you over to what looked like a pelvis. But it was soft with no bones, just two holes, one for the pussy and one for the ass. 

“So ours, is right here.” She said before she dipped her fingers into it and then pressed up. 

“Oh we have one there too. But then we have one that mirrors it on the back and then one, all around the top of the canal. And usually when you’re pregnant, that one is always on because of the weight of the baby and the baby moving downward. So pregnant women have the highest sex drives of all, I can always tell when my mom is in the last trimester of pregnancy, she practically runs my father ragged. He never complains and his happy to keep her happy and sated but he eats and sleeps as much as she does. But usually by that point, he’s onto the small little details of his work that he doesn’t need to put that much physical labor into his work and can stay at home and sit on the couch with my mom and they work on their projects together, with lots of breaks for sex in between cooking and caring for my younger siblings. 

“What does your father do?” She asks. 

“Oh he makes fur coats, boots, baby holders, blankets. My mother and father both buy the furs from the orcs and then fix them up into goods to either sell back to the orcs, or in the colony itself. Because we live near the poll, even in summer, there are needs for it. My mom, she actually takes felted wool and puts a layer of it between the two layers of fur and sews it into place. Or she’ll put pretty designs on the leather itself. Actually before I leave, I should probably ask Nahlo where he got his sewing machine for leather from and buy one for my parents to use. It would save their hands a lot of work and help them.” You answered. 

“Oh, does your colony have electricity?” She asked. 

“Not in the way you do. But for them? I will happily power up all kinds of batteries so that they could have electricity if only to use that sewing machine.” You smiled. 

“Well then before you go, you should have Nahlo help you buy that. Although how you’d get it home, would be hard, if not quite tricky.” Cadi gently warned. 

“Maybe.” You grinned before you found the perfect one. It wasn’t too big, it wasn’t too small, or too thin, it was long enough to hit that third spot yet girthy enough to get the other two too. 

“This one.” You decided as you picked it out and got the one and the flesh color you wanted. 

“Well you’re an easy girl to please.” Cadi smiled. 

“Anything else catching your eye?” She asked. 

“Not really.” You shook your head no. 

“Well then let’s get it. And we’ll stop by another store to get you that electricity generator and battery packs too.” She said before you bought it and were much more interested in perusing that selection than you were the dildos as you were happy to buy a case of generators and a whole palette of batteries to be shipped to Cadi’s house. 

“How are you going to get that all home?” She asked. 

“One pf my forms is a mega phoenix. Where I turn into the size of Grandma Isla. I’ve carried many heavy stones for the colony fortress since I’ve gotten that gift for winning a fighting championship. I can carry 1 ton rocks in each claw or closer to 4 tons, if they are all strapped together with special woven binds. I could probably carry Jenya in one claw, and Daer in the other and have their nest on my back if I really needed to.” You answered. 

“Well ok then. That would be awesome to see.” She smiled. 

“Thanks, but right now, I probably couldn’t hold the form for much longer than an hour, not unless I get more moonlight in me. I wouldn’t be able to hold it for too long. It takes a lot of energy to stay that big.” You explained. 

“Huh. Well it would still be awesome to see someday.” She smiled as she drove back home and got there just in time to get ready for the wedding with Cadi and her sisters and sisters in law and her mom. Who once again, helped with your cosmetics and hair for the wedding while you were happy to simply add in a gift card and sign your name with the other family members in the card. And you all, unfortunately had to leave the dragons at home to go to this particular wedding party. 

“You look beautiful.” Nahlo praised as he watched you slip out of his parent’s house with the white fur shawl around your shoulders but to see the rest of the dress, had his heart and the hearts of Manidore and his other brothers skipping a beat or two. 

“Thank you. Do I glow too much?” You asked self consciously. 

“Not enough to really notice or make any kind of noticeable difference, unless the ballroom goes dark, then you might be noticed, but we’ll leave if that happens.” He reassured you before you smiled at him appreciatively. 

“So you’re gonna dance at least one dance with me tonight right?” Manidore asked hopefully. 

“Sure. One dance.” You offered with a polite smile that didn’t reach your eyes since you would hope that would pacify him. 

“Actually, to keep the others at bay to a degree, how about you sit between Dad and I?” Sefahti suggested. 

“That would be wonderful, thank you.” You answered back but you still caught Manidore’s suck of his teeth in disappointment as you continued to simply sit in the car and rest your head on Nahlo’s shoulder while you interlaced your fingers with his on the way to the wedding which made him really happy that you felt comfortable enough to touch him that intimately yet casually. 

But once you got to the temple, your jaw dropped. There were gorgeous stained glass windows, super high ceilings. Thankfully you had Undilla on one side of you and Sefahti on the other as they walked you into the building with you. And while you were in awe of the temple, it didn’t take long for Alidore and his other brothers to find you. 

“Miss Moonchild! We’re so happy you could make it.” They fawned as they came over as you set the most polite smile to your features that you could while internally groaning as Nahlo could see your inner struggle that you tried to veil with polite features but your eyes still gave you away and he actually found it reassuring. 

“Well my hosts were gracious enough to invite me to come along and I can only hope that my presence is not any kind of inconvenience.” You offered as they all blinked and smiled in surprise. 

“How did you learn nenani so quickly?” They asked in astonishment. 

“A family member dropped off a translation book. I’ve been studying it ever since.” You answered. 

“Are they with you tonight?” They asked. 

“No, they only braved coming to drop it off and quickly leave again. I didn’t wish to put them in danger. Especially when they have a newborn daughter at home.” You excused.

“Oh, well that’s understandable. And really, we’d be more than happy to drop off any number of books about Neveah for your reading and enjoyment.” They offered. 

“Oh, that’s very kind of you. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay long enough to read them though. But hopefully I might be able to take one or two home with me. That way if I ever get the great honor of officially being invited here again, I won’t be too much of a fish out of water, like I am now.” You answered. 

“Oh, I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Really, it wouldn’t take much to explain why you’re here and why you would need to come back regularly. I mean even if just for the sake of the dragons.” Alidore reassured you. 

“Hopefully. Or maybe you all will venture outside of your homeland and come to a colony. Because you’d always be welcome in them. For your own dragons would vouch for you.” You offered before more and more people came up to meet you- a new friend of the family to Undilla and Sefahti as many more asked you to dance at the reception. But Sefahti and Undilla excused that they may not stay that long to dance too much at the reception but that if you did, you’d try to remember to save them a dance. 

You sat down between them in the pew and looked over at the little pamphlet that had been printed that went over the different aspects of the ceremony before you finally shrugged off the fur off of you to simply sit on the bench, thankfully, your dress providing a small, little cushion for your bottom and the hard wooden bench of the pew- to look it over. What an expense to pay for such fancy paper for such a thing. But you had learned that maybe things were cheaper than what you would think they would be. 

“Oh shit.” Nahlo breathed as he watched as the royal family soon came into the temple. 

“What’s wrong?” You whispered over to Sefahti. 

“That’s the royal family. They have a monarchy over Neveah.” She breathed to you. 

“Don’t look up, keep looking down. Don’t make eye contact.” Undilla whispered to you which you obeyed as you pulled the program up over your face as they walked by and prayed they wouldn’t look over as others were greeting them in the traditional way. 

“Ok, they’ve passed.” Undilla said before you slowly lowered the program, but just in time for one of the princes, who was escorting his sister down the aisle had turned around to make sure she got into her seat and just happened to look up to see you and you froze when his gaze locked with yours as he blinked a few times in pleasant surprise before you gave him a polite smile and a nod before you pulled the program up to cover your face and to break eye contact with him. Ugly, inbred skinny thing he was too. But when you did so, his parents got his attention. 

“Adrie, who are you looking at?” His mother asked. 

“Uh, just, a new friendly face.” He answered. 

“Oh? Which one?” She asked as she chanced a look behind her as he sat down next to her. 

“The girl in that gorgeous silver and lavender dress, white fur shawl, between the Vumares I believe.” He answered. 

“Well her dress is exquisite. She must be a cousin to them for sitting between them like that.” She noted. 

“I’ve not seen hair that blonde before. Nor skin that fair before.” He noted. 

“She must live in the pole then. Where they rarely get sunlight to tan decently.” She readily excused. 

“Well go on, go say hi to her. Chances are, she’s probably already got every dance taken up but I’m sure she’d save a dance for you.” She encouraged him. 

“Alright, I shall.” He beamed before he got up and marched straight to you. 

“Oh fuck.” Nahlo breathed when he looked up and watched him walk purposefully over to his family. 

“Mom, mom, mom.” Nahlo elbowed his mom repeatedly to get her attention. 

“Yes I see him coming.” Sefahti answered through the gritted teeth of her smile. 

“Lord and Lady Vumare, it’s great to see you again.” Prince Adrie greeted. 

“Yes it is Prince Adrie.” Sefahti smiled.

“So I see you have brought a guest to the wedding.” He noted as he gestured to you. 

“Yes, this is our dear friend of the family. Miss Moonchild.” They introduced. 

“My Lady.” He nodded as he held a hand out to you before you offered it to him. 

“Your Majesty.” You answered back as he actually bowed and kissed your knuckles and actually held onto your hand to keep you from pulling it back to you. 

“My what fair and wonderfully soft skin you have. Do you live closer to the poles? On Renna perhaps?” He asked. 

“I do live close to the poles. But not Renna.” You excused. 

“Oh then on Amoni then?” He guessed. 

“No, just on the pole.” You shook your head. 

“Oh you’re a breadseed grower and harvester. Excellent. How was the crop this year?” He asked. 

“Actually, I’ve unfortunately been quite sick. It’s nothing contagious. But it has brought me to the mainland and away from the pole so I can’t actually give you a proper answer your Highness.” You excused. 

“Oh dear. Is it serious? Does it hurt?” He asked. 

“I only ask because I have a few ailments I occasionally battle myself.” He readily excused. 

“Oh I’m so sorry to hear that Your Majesty. I do hope that you can find the healing, relief and comfort that you need. I know I have since I’ve come to the mainland.” You offered. 

“Thank you, that is so sweet Miss Moonchild. And really your hosts should be applauded for inviting you up to the mainland to get the care you need. I trust you’re staying with them since you’re sitting with them.” He assumed. 

“I am. And they have been like a second family to me, I could not have found a more hospitable family in the country.” You smiled. 

“So how do you know each other then if you are not related?” He asked. 

“Through a mutual friend. My grandmother and my mother arranged for me to come and stay with them.” You specified as vaguely as you could as you mentally counted Isla as a grandmother and Jenya as another mother. 

“Oh that’s wonderful, I’ll bet they miss you dearly.” He ventured as he was happy to simply hold your delicate and beautiful hand over his own. 

“They do. They’re practically counting down the days, if not the hours until I’m well enough to come home.” You nodded. 

“Well, if it will not be too forward of me, do you mind telling me where you’re getting your treatments from? So I can arrange for you to receive the best care possible?” He offered as you took a measured breath in while everyone else silently held their own and wishing they had a dragon to put the right answer into your head. 

“Actually I’ve been here on the mainland getting more naturally holistic remedies.” You carefully specified. 

“Oh, not great with conventional medicine?” He guessed. 

“Not really, no.” You shook your head. 

“Well, if you find anything for gout, let me know.” He offered. 

“I will.” You smiled, hoping he would leave. 

“So, I hope you’ll stay for the reception.” He offered hopefully. 

“Yes, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay for the festivities, I usually get very tired once the sun sets and the moon rises.” You tried to excuse. 

“Oh, well that’s understandable, you will need your rest while you recover from…I’m sorry, I don’t believe you told me what affliction you’re here for?” He asked. 

“I got struck by lightning and badly burned.” You blurted out because that truth was the only thing you could think of. 

But he only gasped while his eyes went wide in horrified shock. 

“It’s a wonder you’re alive.” He said. 

“Tell me about it.” You huffed a rather mirthless laugh. 

“But you don’t look that burned to me.” He offered. 

“Oh, it’s uh, lower,” you excused as you gestured to past where the top of your dress started. 

“Practically scarred for life.” You laughed a little nervously as you waived it off. 

“Oh my.” He said as he finally let go of your hand so he could then put his own hand over his chest as you were grateful to finally get your hand back from him since he was practically trying to pull you out of your seat that you did not want to vacate. 

“Yeah. So, it’s amazing what a modest dress and a lot of makeup will cover up.” You tried to excuse. 

“I see.” He slowly nodded. 

“Well, I will be praying for you to make a speedy recovery then.” He offered. 

“And I will do the same for you, your Majesty.” You offered before he finally left. 

“That was very well done My Dear.” Sefahti praised you once he was far enough away to be out of earshot. 

“So you didn’t see my heart about to beat out of my chest and panic grip me like a vice?” You asked rhetorically as you sagged in your spot as you held onto the back of the pew in front of you where Cadi was sitting with her family before the other last minute guests arrived before the wedding itself started.

But you were shocked to see her in a white dress. Most brides you had seen wore any color but because white was usually reserved for funerals before you looked out and didn’t see another particular color. Black. Even her bridesmaids were in a light pink pastel color. 

Then the service began. 

And then things started to make sense. 

The Nevehans believed in only two gods. A good one and a bad one. And it was the bad one’s fault that they were here. And that the only “salvation” they had was for when “the appointed time” that they would all get to go back to the homeworld. Where they could be free and not be surrounded by the literal spawn of the evil god. So they viewed every being that wasn’t them- as spawn of evil gods. That made no sense at all. But if this was their reason for thinking so. No wonder the dragons told the moura to stay away. This was downright exclusive and ‘everyone who isn’t exactly like me is a monster and evil’. Nevermind. You didn’t want your moura brethren to come here. Not if this is what was going to be preached to them. And the bride wore white, to show she was pure and chaste. Which to you- made no sense because why would you choose a mate without realzing you weren’t sexually compatible? Because all the great personality in the world didn’t make up for lack luster bedroom skills and a great cock didn’t make up for shit personality. 

So you just sat there, rather numbly as you listened to this asinine rhetoric that was clearly someone’s opinion that was now viewed as directly from their god. Unless their god literally appointed a prophet to write such things down for them once they were converged here. 

Hostile environment indeed. 

And they prayed that they would soon be relieved of their suffering for living amongst devils and demons. And if you weren’t so offended, you’d be so pissed off and angry enough to set this temple on fire yourself for preaching such scornful, bitter, baseless hate. It was a pretty temple with priests with fancy garments but this wasn’t a wedding. It was a sale. A transaction. Because women were not represented as equals, but lesser, and weaker and that she needed to stay at home to attend to the children while her husband went to work to pay for her to stay at home but not actually be involved much with the raising of his own children! That’s what pissed you off the most.

Then you got a tap on your shoulder where you turned to see Nahlo looking at you fearfully. 

“What?” You breathed. 

“Your eyes are glowing.” He breathed before you closed them and concentrated on yourself and reined in your self control and tried to calm and soothe your own anger with promises to yourself that you were going to leave this place and tell everyone who would hear you how they may be technically advanced, but they were downright beastly and primitive in culture and especially in religion. No wonder Thyla wanted Nahlo far away from you. Because if she had been born and raised and brought up in this way of thinking. To her, you might as well have been a demon yourself, perched on top of her dragon barn. 

“Is it better now?” You asked as you opened your eyes only to look so sympathetically and apologetically at him. 

“Yes and no. Are you ok?” He asked. 

“I’ll be fine.” You reassured him before you turned your attention back to the bride and groom as they exchanged wedding rings and said their vows, which were similar to your own, but these were much more extreme. Till death do they part. That was it. That was the only escape from marriage vows. Death. Oh good grief, you fought not to roll your eyes at the notion. So you just clenched your jaw. This was downright ridiculous. On one hand, you were happy you could come and hear and see this for yourself. On the other hand, you wished you crashed right into the sea and never came to this place. 

The service was finally over and the couple were announced as you at least clapped for them since they did look quite happy. That was until the groom got a look at you and gave you a charming and if anything a flirtatious smile while his bride was happy to receive the cheers and applause from those in the temple. 

But he wasn’t the only one. Every. Single. Groomsman, who followed after him, gave you the same look and the same smile while over half of them even gave you a wink and a few of them that did were already wearing a wedding ring themselves. 

Oh this was a mistake and a bad idea. You were prey, surrounded by predators. This is probably exactly what your foremothers experienced. A pretty face in a wedding feast, up for grabs by all the other attending males. 

“Now it’s time to party!” Shali cheered as did all the other teens while inwardly all you could do was groan. 

You got back into the vehicle and curled in on yourself while you just stared dejectedly out the window as you ignored how Sefahti went on and on about how pretty the bride looked and how amazing her train and tiara was and other details that you didn’t care about. 

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Nahlo asked as he was now worried with how withdrawn you were. 

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” You mumbled. 

“I just need to heal and get out of here as soon as I can and before I pose more of a dangerous threat to you and your family.” You insisted as your face became stony. 

“You’re not a danger to us Aurava.” Undilla insisted before you looked up and looked at him out of the rearview mirror. 

“Do all of you believe what was preached in that temple today?” You asked. 

“Well…in theory, we’re supposed to but most of us don’t believe it in reality, it’s just all theoretical at this point.” Undilla answered. 

“So not in practice?” You posed. 

“Some of it, we try, other parts, no, we don’t.” Undilla offered. 

“Fair enough. I think most people who attend the temple of their choosing and worship the gods that they do would profess the same.” You offered. 

“So what did you like about the wedding?” Sefahti asked. 

“The bride looked happy.” You answered simply. 

“She did.” Sefahti smiled as you bit your tongue to keep yourself from saying anything else. 

You came into the feasting hall and were happy to sit between Sefahti and Undilla again, with Undilla putting his arm around the back of your chair for most of it. And while the food was- to a degree- edible. You could tell it was mass produced for such a large feast- there was no love or care in this food. So it tasted rather bland to you, all filler and no substance, so you simply couldn’t bring yourself to finish off your plate. You barely picked it over because you inwardly, felt so sick to your stomach. 

“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” You finally excused yourself from the table and grabbed your clutch and went looking for the signs for the bathrooms themselves. Because hopefully, it was where you could find sanctuary in a bathroom stall for a few long moments. 

“Aurava, are you ok?” Cadi asked since she had followed you into the bathroom. 

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I just…needed a moment to breathe in privacy.” You excused before you wiped and flushed and made sure no part of your moura cloak’s dress got caught up in any undergarments before you left the stall. 

“Are you sure you’re ok?” She asked as you put your clutch down next to the sink to wash your hands. 

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” You asked her. 

“Because you look …tense.” She admitted. 

“I am. The groom and all of his groomsman have been staring at me, like at any moment, my dress will just magically disappear so they can stare at my body outright naked. Or at least like they’re imagining what I look like naked. The groom himself just said his vows. He should only have eyes for his wife, I would think so at least.” You hissed as you grabbed the paper towels to dry your hands off before you looked in the mirror to make sure this dress was as modest as it could be. 

“Yeah, I saw that. Sorry.” She apologized. 

“But they are supposed to be together till death?” You questioned. 

“In theory. Not really in practice. A lot of people get divorced. Actually the divorce rate is quite high.” Cadi admitted. 

“What about everything else they taught?” You asked. 

“Again, most of us feel that all of that came from when we- were first converged. And no one has gone out to prove it true or false since.” She admitted. 

“But in the meantime, you keep repeating all of those opinions that your forefathers and foremothers had, as truth?” You questioned. 

“Well…yeah, I can see how you’d come to that conclusion. Look, most of the people here, rarely go to worship at the temple. Very few of us read the holy book. A lot of people even now, believe that once we left the homeworld. Our god stayed behind with it.” Cadi admitted. 

“But the devil followed you and filled the world with his spawn that all of you have to be weary of?” You questioned. 

“Oh, that. No. No. I mean obviously you’re not…” Cadi began. 

“Only because you’ve met me and taken the time to get to know me. If I had never crashed here. Would you have still believed all those lies only because you had no other proof otherwise?” You asked. 

“No. I never believed any of it in the first place.” Cadi shook her head. 

“Then why did we go into that temple and listen to that nonsense?” You asked. 

“Tradition?” She shrugged.

“Yeah. Tradition.” You huffed before you threw the paper towels away and left the bathroom and sat back into your seat and just stared at the centerpiece instead of really talking or engaging with anyone else before an attendant came. 

“Excuse me. Miss Moonchild? Prince Adrie requests your presence at his table.” He said. 

“Sure.” You sighed as you didn’t even bother bringing anything with you and just followed him as you could feel the groom’s eyes on you along with all the other groomsmen, hell every other guy in here was staring at you. 

“Your Majesties.” You greeted. 

“Won’t you please sit down.” The Queen herself asked as you took the seat between her and her son before you realized that the food on the plate in front of you was very different from the food you had been served before. 

“I hope you will forgive me, but I noticed you didn’t care for the meal prepared for the masses.” Prince Adrie excused. 

“I do not mean to cause offense to the cooks who worked so hard to prepare so much food to feed everyone.” You excused, as you didn’t even want to touch the golden eating utensils. 

“They did what they were paid to do. Hopefully this food will be much better suited to you and your refined tastes.” Prince Adrie offered before you begrudgingly picked up the silverware and began to eat. 

“Why how refined you hold yourself, Miss Moonchild- was it? Pray what is your name. I’m Queen Yamere. But you do not need to call me by such titles. Ma’am is perfectly fine.” She began. 

“Thank you. I had the instruction of Mrs. Cheniewai earlier this week.” You explained. 

“Oh, yes, the Duchess Cheniewai is incredibly refined.” She agreed. 

“I did not realize she held such a high title. Please forgive my rudeness. I meant no disrespect.” You requested. 

“Oh, for a child of the polar, as important as you are to our society. Such things must seem rather trivial to you.” Yamere noted. 

“How they treat their dragons is not.” You countered. 

“I beg your pardon?” Prince Adrie asked. 

“Are you aware that the dragon scales that they use for their jewelry are pulled out of the dragons before they are ready to be shed?” You asked him. 

“Yes, I understand that that is practiced to keep the scales from looking dead or dull and keep them pristine and looking fresh for a lifetime.” He answered. 

“Even to the point of pain and bleeding for the dragons?” You asked as you frowned deeply at him. 

“I…I guess so. I’m not entirely sure. Our dragons are silk dragons and therefore grow hair instead of scales and we shear ours like sheep.” He excused. 

“So you yourself wouldn’t pull your own dragon’s hair out of their bodies? To the root? Because I have seen dragons picked bald of their scales because they were born cursed with pretty scales and were picked at the very root. So that the scales never grew back.” You challenged. 

“I…I didn’t realize that, that could happen.” He admitted with a blush. 

“Mother?” He asked. 

“I have heard of it happening a time or two.” She admitted casually. 

“And there’s nothing in place to protect the dragons?” You asked. 

“Well, they are free to leave any time they want.” The Queen answered. 

“Right.” You nodded before you put your utensils down, careful not to turn them. 

“Then if you’ll excuse me your majesties, I fear I have no stomach for this food. Even as delectable as it looks.” You excused yourself and got up. 

“Wait, wait.” Prince Adrie asked as he reached over and tried to pull you down. 

“Please. Let me go.” You asked.

“Why do you need to leave? Is the food really that unappetizing, I can have other food brought here for you if that would please you better.” He offered. 

“Prince Adrie, why is it important to you that I stay?” You asked him as you let him pull you back down to the seat. 

“Because I have yet to even learn your full name.” He answered. 

“Aurava, Aurava Correna Moonchild.” You specified but he would still not let go of your arms.

“Then what did you not like about the food?” He asked. 

“There is nothing wrong with the food itself. I’m just not hungry for it.” You answered. 

“Then won’t you tell me what treatments you’ve been getting for your ailment?” He asked as he tried to simply hold your hands instead. 

“Medicine that I don’t even understand. How can I explain something I don’t understand how it works, only that it does, even if it’s unconventional?” You posed as you tried to wriggle your fingers out of his hands. 

“Why are you avoiding me?” He asked. 

“Because it’s dangerous to keep touching me.” You said before he finally pulled away. 

“I have excess electricity in my body from the lightning strike and prolonged skin to skin contact is very hard for me to mentally keep that electricity in and not electrocute you where you sit. Short little touches here and there are like forcing yourself to change your breathing and blinking pattern instead of doing so naturally.” You explained. 

“Oh, oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.” He apologized before he withdrew and turned back around while his cheeks flushed. 

“You got struck by lightning?” The queen asked which forced you to turn and sit properly in your seat. 

“Yes. It was extremely painful and I have the burns to prove it. This dress simply covers over them. But I didn’t want to keep the Vumares from attending this momentous occasion, but they didn’t want to leave me at their home alone. So we found this dress that fits and doesn’t hurt me to wear.” You explained. 

“Oh you poor thing, I didn’t realize.” She offered. 

“It’s ok your Majesty. It isn’t your fault.” You excused before you begrudgingly began to eat again. Because you didn’t want the food itself to go to waste. 

“By the way, if you want to treat gout successfully, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.” You murmured to Prince Adrie. 

“Yeah, I’ve been told, which is why I’m on a special medication to drain the excess so the gout itself doesn’t flare.” He nodded as he then purposefully put the fattiest bite into his mouth. You could only shake your head. If he was going to be willful about it, he deserved every bit of pain for it. But by the time you finished with dinner, then the dancing began as the bride and groom danced around the dancefloor and then the rest of the bridal party together before the Prince asked you to dance before you begrudgingly let him lead you to the dancefloor. 

“Is it too painful for you to dance?” He asked. 

“It should be fine.” You excused before you noticed he had put a handkerchief between his hand and yours which made you smile to see him mindful of it. 

“So why did you try to leave the table earlier?” He asked. 

“Because to hear you dismiss the pain of the dragons, gave me the impression you weren’t as sympathetic to the pain of others. There was nothing wrong with the food, I just would prefer to not eat with those who are willfully ignorant of the plight of others.” You answered. 

“Oh, yes, that. I do apologize. I can look into it. See if there is anything we can do to keep it from being repeated in the future.” He offered. 

“Thank you, that would mean a lot to me.” You thanked him gratefully. 

“But you are positively radiant Aurava.” He praised. 

“Thanks, it’s the lightning strike. It literally makes me glow and has greatly lightened my appearance.” You answered. 

“Wait.” He ducked his head into the crux of your shoulder as you did the same, to create a bit of darker space. 

“See?” You asked with a snickering laugh before you lifted your head. 

“That is extraordinary.” He praised.

“Thanks. But the reason I am seeing holistic healers is the last thing I want is to be cooped up in some scientist laboratory and tested for the rest of my life.” You admitted. 

“Ooh, that makes sense.” He nodded in understanding. 

“Or much less the very priests tell me I’m some kind of lightning demon or something and torture me to death.” You offered. 

“Oh, I doubt that would…” He tried to offer as you gave him a meaningful look.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He nodded.

“Speaking of the priests and the temple. Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” You asked. 

“Please, by all means.” He invited.

“Do you personally believe all that was preached today?” You asked him. 

“No.” He shook his head.

“What parts do you not believe in?” You asked. 

“Just about all of it.” He admitted.

“Oh thank goodness.” You blew out a breath of relief as you dipped your head to rest it on his shoulder for a moment. 

“So you don’t believe all non-native Nevehans are spawns of the devil?” You asked hopefully. 

“I wouldn’t know one way or another. I was born after the last attempt to un-converge. So I’ve never had any dealings with anyone else.” He admitted. 

“What if I could tell you- and prove to you- that such thinking is wrong?” You asked. 

“What kind of proof?” He asked. 

“Personal testimony. I’ve met some.” You grinned. 

“Really? Where?” He asked excitedly. 

“You know every other summer solstice, how there are little specks that fly in the southern lights?” You prompted. 

“Well they’re birds that fly, at least that’s what I was able to see in the telescope.” He answered. 

“Did you watch all of them, the ones that flew over only a few days ago?” You asked. 

“Yeah.” He answered. 

“Well, one crashed here. It was a complete accident. But I would wager you’d like them.” You offered. 

“How much of a wager?” He asked. 

“Your silence and sworn oath of secrecy to protect them.” You offered. 

“Of course,” he readily agreed before he tried to leave the dance floor and take you with him as you readily did so, happy to escape into a nearby balcony.

“Where are they?” He asked you. 

“You’re looking at them.” You answered him. 

“Wait, what?” He asked before you moved yourself and him over to a spot you couldn’t be seen.

“It’s me.” You confessed as you slowly let your wings bloom around you. 

“You’re, you’re the…!” He began before you folded them back and put your hand over his mouth.

“Shh.” You shushed him. 

“That’s why you glow! That’s why you look so heavenly! You’re the angel from heaven my dragon has been talking to me about. The one that fell to the island!” He said in excited whisper. 

“I’m not an angel from your world. I’m called a moura, my people were from a different homeworld than yours. But we take up the cloud realm in the highest part of the atmosphere. There’s crystal angels that take up the crystal realm, you can’t see them or it from the ground. But I’ve been there and touched it. It’s beautiful. They’re very elemental.” You offered. 

“Really? So are there other angels up there too?” He asked before he sat down next to you over the thick, heavy stone railing.

“Yes, there’s high heaven and middle heaven and then mouras take up low heaven.” You answered. 

“So it was you, you were the low flying one that vanished in the storm cloud.” He asked.

“You saw it happen?” You asked him.

“Yes, one moment, the storm came, then lightning struck, but then a blueish white pheonix rose in the bird’s place but then they fell and it was too bright to watch after that.” He answered. 

“That was me!” You revealed. 

“You’re the phoenix?” He asked. 

“I”m the moura with the phoenix power, yes.” You confessed.

“Wow. And you’re here? You’re with me?” He asked. 

“Yes, but that’s because I need your help.” You pleaded. 

“Name it.” He offered. 

“Please, when I’m fully healed, please let me leave and go home and do not punish those who have given me refuge.” You pleaded with him.

“Oh, no of course not.” He shook his head no. 

“Also, please don’t hand me over to your authorities.” You added. 

“Oh, no of course not. You obviously mean us no harm.” He began. 

“None of my kind do. No moura means any Neveahan harm. But we are friends with all dragons and all the taunstons and the taunstons and the Neveahan dragons have both told us to never come here or we would be killed the moment we touched your ground. And I never understood why until I was at the temple today. If your own religious leaders preach that all peoples outside of Neveah are spawns of evil. I would have an extreme prejudice against them too. Is that why we were told to never meet?” You asked him. 

“Oh, well the taunstons are responsible for getting us into this mess.” He began. 

“But you are the ones that saved my people and my friends with your medicine. We would have been lost without that help.” You offered as his face was soon overcome with regret for even leading with that. 

“Oh, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that and I didn’t mean to put the blame on you or your people, I didn’t realize. Uh, you’re welcome. If it was to save you and your people. Please, don’t mention it, we were happy to help. I never realized that you were the ones we helped save, I thought it was the water dwelling things.” He recalled. 

“The merfolk? Those are my people. Mouras are no different than selkies, only we have wings and a coat of feathers, selkies have sealcoats of fur and fins. We were created side by side in the homeworld. And every merperson is a moura’s friend and family too.” You revealed. 

“Oh. I…I didn’t…know or realize. Really? Side by side?” He asked. 

“Yes. Mouras are the creation of Monesse, our god of the heavens. The merfolk, creation of his beloved- Seasha. We were the ones that moved the clouds so that the waters would have the green algae blooms. Our home world is a waterworld though, with no dry land anywhere and any bedrock was far too deep for any moura to reach on a single breath. Our friends and family were dying because the red algae was toxic to the food chain. And while mouras can heal, we could not keep up with the algae, for every 1 we healed, a thousand more got sick. If it hadn’t been for the convergence. We all would have died out. But because we came here, mouras got the bigger and better sun. The merfolk got the seas and thanks to your medicine to rid the seas of red algae, they’re saved. So thank you for that. I have many friends among the merfolk. Mostly selkies because we can both appear human and walk on dry land now and be together without having to worry about the one drying out or the other drowning.” You thanked him and smiled when he practically melted when met with such kindness and gracious thanks. 

“You’re more than welcome. If we would have known, surely we would have opened up Neveah to you sooner.” He offered. 

“Well, my brethren will not want to come if it is preached that we are the evil spawn of…” You began as you gently shook your head. 

“No! That will stop at once. I’m so ashamed you had to hear that yourself. No. You are clearly not the spawn of anything evil or at all unholy, quite the opposite.” He reassured you. 

“But our merfolk friends are?” You asked. 

“No, no, they uh, are just…misunderstood.” He offered. 

“You know, I’ve been telling the Vumare’s that if you were to step out of your country, you would see that there’s a whole world of wonderful people and beautiful places that you miss out on every day you wait for a day that may not even come. My great grandparents have come through from the old world. And they say that so far, every hundred years, when they try to un-converge the spheres, that it gets weaker and weaker. None of us would ever want to leave this world for the old one.” You said as you looked past him and up into the sky and appreciated the view. 

“Why?” He asked. 

“No dry land remember? Mouras can’t even all fit in the cloud realm anymore. And our home world is only a fifth of the size of this one. That means 80% of just the mouras who stay in the cloud realm would die off from lack of space and lack of food supply. And the same would be said of the merfolk. I’m considered a ground moura. I live, eat, sleep and breathe here on the surface. I and my family would never survive in the homeworld. In fact, about 60% of our population isn’t even in the clouds. We’re on the ground. Either in the mountain tops or in a country we have come to claim and call our own, called Dorierra, it’s name means ‘door to the world’. It’s a lot like this place. Very beautiful, but maybe not as technologically advanced. But we’re getting there. Thanks to a lot of help from more advanced species we’ve come to call friends and family.” You explained. 

“Oh.” He blinked. 

“But I understand if you want to keep your homeworld strictly yours- should the chance arrive to go back in about 83 years, you and your people may wish to continue to live separately from everyone else. Which is a shame. That’s practically a lifetime of waiting, and never finding out if your best friend in the world, just happens to be a different kind of person than yourself Prince. But thank you for listening to me and for protecting me and not revealing me. If the taunstons reach out to you in my behalf, since mouras don’t have any official correspondence with you and your people, won’t you please assure them and reassure them that I’m being taken care of well and am being healed of my affliction?” You asked before you slid off of the railing and wiped off your dress as he reluctantly slipped off of it too. 

“Of course. Could I…?” He began to ask. 

“Could you what?” You asked. 

“Could you come visit me at the palace? We have a moura dragon there. They would really love to see you.” 

“Well if I have your official invitation, and it’s safe for me to do so and I wouldn’t be in any kind of danger of being entrapped or ensnared, of course.” You smiled. 

“Oh we would never dream of it. When could you come?” He asked hopefully.

“Well, I don’t know what my hosts have planned for tomorrow and we have another drainage session on the day after that. But if you can promise me safe passage to and from the palace, I can try to come.” You offered. 

“Please.” He nodded. 

“I can even get you official documents, so that you don’t have to hide, I can have you be my official guest of honor from…wherever it is that you are from.” He offered. 

“My colony name is Delevania. It’s from the north pole. I hope you’ll forgive me for being vague earlier.” You answered. 

“Yes, of course. And uh, so every other summer solstice?” He asked. 

“Yes, well for you, it’s the summer, for us, it’s winter, because opposite hemisphere, opposite season for us. The colonies near the poles volley who hosts the rite of passage flight. And then for you what is the winter solstice. Is our summer solstice, and that flight we have around the equator. It’s longer and more of a test of endurance than anything else. But at least we have Dorierra which is right on the equator to stop and rest and refuel if need be.” You explained.

“Refuel?” He asked.

“Eat. We eat food and we collect light in all of it’s forms, sunshine, moonshine, all of it. We are creatures of heavenly light remember?” You noted. 

“Oh, yes, most definitely.” He nodded before you just hugged him. 

“Thank you so much for listening with an open mind.” You thanked him before you kissed his cheek sweetly as you pressed your palm to his other cheek as he seemed to breathe in relief as light glowed from your palm into his body as you started to heal what little bits you could. 

“There, that gout at least will give you a break, hopefully long enough to improve your diet before it would ever bother you again.” You offered once you withdrew. 

“Marry me.” He blurted. 

“Oh sweet Prince, no. I’m sorry. I already have a family of my own that misses me as much as I miss them. But I would wager there is a very beautiful, and very capable moura bride for you from Dorierra, who would love to come and lay down the foundation for more moura and Neveahan relationships and business and commerce in the future. All you need to do is be kind, be welcoming and give her the kindness and respect and dignity that you’ve just given me, and she’ll be all yours- till death do you part. But my heart and my life is already dedicated to another, and while I do not wear their wedding ring, my vow is on my heart and soul in ways that transcend a physical token. I’m sorry.” You apologized before he simply kissed your cheek and hugged you again. 

“Will she be as pretty and as nice and sweet as you?” He asked. 

“Better in all respects.” You giggled. 

“Enjoy the wedding. And thank you in advance for all that you have done and all that you will continue to do. I hope that at least for the next 83 years, we’ll be able to be friends.” You offered. 

“I guarantee it.” He offered as he tried to blink away his tears. 

“You’ll be ok. But seriously, it will not kill you to eat a vegetable.” You teased with a laugh. 

“Ok, ok, I give, I will.” He caved and smiled appreciatively. 

“Your future self- thanks you.” You offered to him. 

“Thank you for the dance and the decent food sweet Prince.” You offered before you blew him a kiss and left him there on that balcony and slipped into the fray before Nahlo found you. 

“Oh thank god. Are you ok?” He asked as he looked you over. 

“I’m ok. I’m just took a moment to get some royal help and protection, when in doubt, seek an audience with the head of state and cut out any middle men.” You explained. 

“Wait, what?” He asked. 

“The prince was willing to hear me out. So I pleaded my case, he listened. Whether or not he’ll follow through? I don’t know but it was worth a shot.” You offered with a shrug. 

“Now dance with me before any other vulture tries to snatch me up and away using their superior rank to do so.” You urged him. 

“Oh of course.” He was quick to dance and twirl you around the dance floor. 

“Thank you so much.” You thanked him as he was quick to change directions and pick you up and twirls you away from any other who approached to try to steal you away before Manidore managed to literally shove himself in between. 

“Ok, fine, we can finish this song.” You caved as you let him dance with you around the dance floor before Alidore and his other brothers tried to muscle in too. Then the damned groomsman seemed to be waiting in the wings the second one was done before they all seemed to take their turns. 

“So Miss Moonchild? Not Mrs. Moonchild?” They asked hopefully. 

“While I don’t wear a wedding ring, my heart and soul are already connected and are in union with another. And that is a bond between me, him and the pole in which we will call home.” You answered firmly. 

“Well what he doesn’t know, won’t hurt him right?” Some of them tried to say. 

“I will know and it will hurt me. I don’t mind dancing with you once on a dance floor. But any more than that is not available, not open to debate or up for discussion. You move that hand any lower towards my ass and I will break it.” You warned. 

“Wow, so fiery. I doubt you’d break it, especially if you’d really like it and enjoy it.” The most emboldened offered.

“You have until the count of three to find out. One…two…” You began as you planted your feet like roots of a tree, grabbed them by their wrists and began to  twist with more strength than they realized you had before they all seemed to cave. 

“Ok, ok, ok. I’m sorry. I’ll be good and behave, stop, stop, stop, that really hurts.” They quickly began to beg as they shrunk back. 

“Oh and that isn’t nearly the amount of pain you would put me through trying to tempt me to be unfaithful to my beloved?” You insisted. 

“Fair point.” They added before they tried to behave like more “proper” gentlemen before you sensed the song was over and quickly left them before another caught up with you before you managed to get through all of them and finally made it back to your seat. 

“Gods that was exhausting.” You complained as you sat down and gulped the water and wine in the glasses at your seat before the dancing was interrupted by the cutting of the great big cake. 

It was more frosting than cake. Dry and hardly any flavor. 

“Is this the norm for cake here?” You muttered to Nahlo who was happy to have you sitting back down beside him. 

“Yeah, I take it you don’t like it?” He asked. 

“No. In the colonies, we always have fruit and soaked in syrups and liquors. Rum cake being the most popular.” 

“Do the kids get drunk eating it?” He asked. 

“No. Not really, nothing more than just a sip of their parent’s wine or beer glass would give them.” You waived off. 

“So I saw how you had to put your foot down, quite literally with some of the groomsman.” He noted proudly. 

“I did. I gave them a choice, try to touch my ass and get their wrists and hands broken, or keep their hands respectfully at my waist and remain unharmed.” You revealed which got him to laugh. 

“Perfect. I take it, you gave them a little taste of what that would feel like before they officially made their own decision.” He murmured. 

“I did.” You smiled. 

“Good.” He nodded. 

“How’d you fare with Haluma?” You asked before he gave you a meaningful but unimpressed look. 

“How’d you fare with her brothers?” He asked. 

“Does any man on Neveah know how to flirt with any kind of grace, decorum or decency? Because so far I’ve been propositioned like a harlot and then rebuked for being a prude once I turned them down. It’s like there’s no right answer and a woman is screwed either way.” You noted. 

“Unfortunately, here, yeah. But hopefully we won’t be here for too much longer.” He answered. 

“Oh so everyone is going home soon?” You asked. 

“Uh, well I can take us home whenever you want, we can just take a taxi back and they can drive back whenever they want. We came, we danced, we had cake. We can go anytime.” He offered happily. 

“We?” You repeated. 

“Yeah, we. Where you go, I follow, as long as you want me to anyway.” Nahlo offered. 

“Then you’re going to have to get a different dragon because Thyla…” You began to argue before he silenced you with a kiss and you were too shocked to do anything other than suck a breath in through your nose but you couldn’t help but close your eyes and kiss back before you heard Cadi cheer before you pulled away and blushed as you smiled bashfully. 

“We?” Nahlo asked as he offered his hand to you.

“We.” You nodded as you took it and intertwined your fingers with his.

“How…when…” You stuttered as you tried to decide which question you wanted to ask. 

“Oh the moment I heard you tell all the other guys you had already chosen another, I had a hope.” He answered. 

“Then why’d you send me to go get a dildo with your sister?” You asked as you dropped your voice down. 

“Just in case my hopes were false, and I was reading too much into it.” Nahlo answered. 

“I see.” You nodded. 

“So are you going to have to find a new dragon when you get back?” You asked. 

“Thyla leaves for her own rite flight in less than a month. She’s not going to be my dragon for too much longer.” He answered. 

“Oh, I see. So you’re hoping to fly her back to my colony before you’d be rideless?” You suggested. 

“Yeah, something like that.” He admitted. 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. You can ride me wherever you want to go.” You informed him. 

“Wait, what?” He asked. 

“Do you have any idea how big a mega phoenix is?” You asked. 

“No.” He shook his head no. 

“As big as Grandma Isla.” You answered before Nahlo’s eyes about popped out of his head. 

“No way.” He began. 

“Yeah. Really fucking big. I could carry Jenya in one talloned foot and Daer in the other and have their nest on my back. Easy, no sweat.” You informed him. 

“Well I guess I don’t have to worry about packing the bare minimum then huh?” He asked. 

“Not really. But yeah, let’s go.” You urged him as you nodded over to the doors. 

“Yup. Let’s go.” He immediately dropped everything and made sure you had everything while he shot his family a quick text that he was taking you home and to please stay and enjoy the wedding which got Cadi to give him a nod and a thumb’s up of encouragement. 

Nahlo could not get you into a taxi fast enough and the moment the doors were shut, he didn’t even bother with the seatbelts. He just leaned over you and started kissing you deeply which you were very happy to receive but you had to put on the breaks because you could tell your moura marks were about to bloom and you didn’t reveal yourself to the taxi driver. 

“Easy, slow down. It’s hard not to light up.” You whispered into his ear as his mouth had attached itself to the column of your neck and found a pleasurable place to leave a lovemark.

“Ok.” Nahlo reluctantly finally slowed down and was happy and content to pull you back up but have you under his arm instead. 

“So why did you withdraw earlier?” He asked. 

“I was worried that everything that was preached in the temple was taken and believed as truth. Especially about me as an outsider.” You whispered. 

“Oh, no. No, no, no. No. Not at all. If anything, you’re proof it’s all lies.” He shook his head adamantly. 

“But if I hadn’t come…” You began. 

“I believed it was lies before you came.” He insisted. 

“Always listen to the dragons right? Well Jenya and Isla and all the others have been practically begging and pleading and telling us otherwise. So the wise- listen and believe the dragons, especially the ones who have been elsewhere and have experienced it first hand.” He revealed as he circled the tip of your nose with the tip of his own. 

“Even when Thyla…” You began to argue before he kissed you again. 

“She’s literally only 5. Do you believe everything your five year old siblings feel is true? Especially when there’s cookies in a jar and chocolate all over their faces and you ask if they’ve been eating the chocolate chip cookies?” He asked. 

“Fair point.” You smiled. 

“You’re literally four times her age, you have gone and done and seen so much more than most will ever imagine. Of course you’d be the more experienced. And she had no right to interfere in the first place, she’ll be eating humble pie in oh, about two months from now.” He admitted. 

“But what about you? You have such a great life here. I’d hate to pull you from it.” You offered. 

“It’s just stuff. It doesn’t amount to much of anything. Besides, as long as we can get you past the outer ring of islands. If you can stand having excess electricity. We could, in theory, bring it to your colony. And you could jumpstart it.” He offered as your eyes grew wide before you grabbed his face and kissed him earnestly and deeply just as the two of you arrived at his house. He threw some cash at the driver and practically ran with you towards the barn and the moment, the driver was out of sight, you let your wings let loose and picked him up and brought him up to the steeple before in a frantic pace he was quickly stripping out of his suit while your dress already vanished and the moment, he could, he laid back and brought you into his lap and the moment his cock sprung free, you were quick to practically suck your prize down your mouth and throat as Nahlo let a string of blessed curses leave his mouth as he couldn’t help but dig his fingers into your hair and grab handfuls of your hair. 

“Shit, Love, you need to slow down.” He gasped as his own release threatened to spill down that utterly divine throat of yours. 

“Do you only have one orgasm in you?” You asked as you pulled away. 

“No, but, I…” He stuttered. 

“I’ll give you this one easy, next one will be a bit more of a challenge.” You winked before you went back to sucking as enthusiastically as you could because he was actually bigger than the dildo you had bought for yourself. But not too much to be uncomfortable, but if anything, perfectly pleasurable in size. 

His whole body tensed as his release siezed his body as he couldn’t help but pull your lips up to the base so that your nose dived into the forrest of locks he had there and you continued to suck until he had to push you off. 

“Please, I’m…I’m overstimulated. I can’t…I haven’t…fuck.” He couldn’t even form a coherent sentance before you let go of him and simply climbed up him and laid over him, your wings covering both of you as your moura marks were like a myriad of rings around both of you. 

“How..where…” He began to ask. 

“Natural moura gifts. We have two throats. One for eating and pleasure and the other for breathing.” You told him. 

“Really?” He asked as he was happy to wrap his arms over your shoulders, under the tops of your wings. 

“Yeah, the second throat has a flap at the top of our throat, you can’t really see it, but it keeps the windpipe connected to the nose, so we can eat and breathe at the same time, or talk while swallowing too.” You revealed.

“Huh, neat.” He grinned before he reached up and pulled all the bobby pins out of your hair and then ran his fingers through the silken tresses. 

“So leave at the end of this week?” He suggested. 

“Yeah. I believe we can do that.” You smiled happily before you kissed him only to reignite his passions and yours and by the time his cock prodded your entrance, you knew he was ready to ride. So you sat up and sat back and smiled and sighed happily when you readily eased down on him. 

“Damn.” He praised as he looked up at you like you were a goddess as he felt a profound sense of being unworthy, but at the same time, proud that such an ethereal creature wanted him.

The moon rose and all of a sudden, it was like you fully bloomed. Your moura marks, that were once delightful became brighter, more defined, more vivid and that was when he could see that each one had it’s own intricate pattern. Each one was like a story in itself. Each one was beautiful and like rings of a tree, they just kept flowing and pouring and spinning around both of you as he felt more connected to you in this moment, than he had ever been to any other being in the world. 

Your breasts were overflowing his hands, your soft supple curves, showed the ripples from the impact when your flesh moved and collided with his. Your skin was glowed like the moon above you and your wings stretched out wide and far as your fingertips dug into the meat of his forearms, decorated beautifully with intricate tattoos of his own. 

“Close your eyes, I’m about to cum.” You encouraged before he obeyed and could only drive up into you and close his eyes as you did indeed start to glow even brighter as he fought not to cum himself but that was only until he felt his emotional connection with you fully establish itself. And when you came, he couldn’t stop but cum too. But it felt like his soul practically left his body to intermingle with your own when it did and the light behind his own eyelids was bright, he was surrounded in warmth, comfort, love and care but then the light started to fade and he chanced a look to see you with your eyes closed, a pleasured relief on your features and a deep seated happiness in your countenance as you both rode out the high of ecstasy that for him- was lasting so much longer than his usual afterglow did. And when you finally came down to lay on his chest, the moura marks started to close, tighter, and tighter around you both before they faded into nothing and you stopped glowing entirely. 

“That was the best.” You finally murmured blissfully. 

“Yeah, is it…is it always like that?” He asked. 

“No. I have no idea why it was that epically good, but I’m not about to complain or turn it down.” You admitted. 

“Me either.” He smiled before he started to feel quite sleepy, as did you as your wings were happy to stretch out and soak in the moonbeams before you both got under the covers and comfortable as you were happy to use him as your own personal mattress for the night while Nahlo was happy to hold you, and look up into the beautiful night sky, with it’s sunset and the starts just starting to peek through the darkening skies and by the time the sun fully set. Even though he had seen the night sky countless times, somehow it never looked as beautiful in this moment than it had ever looked before. But then again, he had never seen it with you on his chest before either before he closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

Thyla peeked out from around the house, looking up, broken hearted that her rider had turned his back on her, on his family, on his country, on everything she thought meant something to him and was going to be leaving forever before she was ready to let him go. So she could do little else but silently slip away into the night.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024 Day 25 Harpy /Moura- Part 5

Now we get to involve family and make things even more beautifully complicated. And yes I wrote this listening to "Life Me Up" by Rhianna. While crying.

As always huge thanks to @borealwrites for their Monster March 2024 Prompt List!

Part 5

At Nahlo’s home, there were several houses surrounding one huge, main barn. 

And inside the barn, is where two large dragons were laying around their nest of eggs. 

‘Hello Aurava, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.’ Thyla’s mother Jenya greeted you as you came over and you didn’t think twice about your borrowed Neveahan clothes, your wings sprouted through them and practically shredded them off of you since unsprouted wings were long golden lines down a moura’s backside from collar to foot. But your wings did so- so you could immediately fly up to sit on her snout and hug her face, with a trail of electrum glitter falling after you as you did so.

Nahlo just stared in shock that your wings were sharp enough and powerful enough to cut through dragon silk and dragon wool. Usually the only things that could cut such fabrics were dragon teeth, but your wings shredded all those layers like they were tissue paper as he was impressed yet surprised to see how quickly you move once unencumbered and your moura cloak once again changed into something similar to what you had been wearing only a moment before, but this time, looking downright iridescent and shimmery in addition to it’s ethereal glow. 

“Hi Dragon Mama Jenya.” You said as you laid down over her large face and hugged her face as best you could as you felt even more at peace and ease now that you were with a friend, even if this was your first time meeting her in person as you felt all the love practically pour out of her heart and fill you and wrap you up in it like it was a blanket as you felt the same way about her. 

‘So you got struck by lightning. That would explain why you glow like it. That must have hurt like hell.’ She offered. 

"Not as much as falling to my almost death and trying to use my wings to ball up and armor up around me and smashing into the outer islands rocky outcrops and breaking both of my wings to the point I couldn’t lift them off the ground and had to drag them behind me. And I had so much electricity coursing through me I burned everything I touched. Even water, it all boiled and steamed away before I could even drink it." You explained.

‘Oh my stars’ She said as her eyes were huge in horrified shock as you showed her with your memories what had happened and how it had hurt.

“But now every piece of metal I touch turns to electrum. I can’t touch anything that is even slightly metallic without thick leather gloves to insulate me from everything else. But Grandma Isla put some kind of spell on me so I don’t shine as bright as the sun itself and don’t electrocute everything I touch and can at least eat and drink normally as long as the dishes are wood or ceramic or something nonmetal. I was on my last flight too. It was less than an hour’s flight back to the host colony too. Also do you know why Nevahan Dragons warned us to never set foot here?” You asked as you tilted your head. 

‘I have no idea. Daer?’ She turned to her mate. 

‘I have no idea either.’ He readily answered. 

“Do you think it has something to do with a moura’s large appetite? That we’d eat everyone here out of house and home?” You asked. 

‘For all the gold Jenya says you’d all pay for it? I doubt anyone here would complain.’ Daer answered. 

‘I think if anything it would have to do with the fact that mouras will interbreed. And most Neveahans are trying to find a way to make a clock that will count down the moment they can go back to the homeworld and they don’t want anything to ever cause them to have a conflict of interest in going back to their homeworld. Whereas I know for a fact almost every moura here wouldn’t do so if they had the chance because what they’ve gained and built here is too precious to leave behind.’ Jenya supplied. 

‘Yeah that makes the most sense.’ Daer had to nod in agreement as you sat to the side of Jenya’s snout to look out over at Daer to talk to them, feeling perfectly happy and ease to sit on their snouts that were so high up in the air because they were so big. You looked like a little doll sitting up there on the perch, your legs swinging out as you talked to them. 

“Well mouras have done so much and so well, I mean that’s why there’s now officially over a thousand colonies. In just about every mountain range except for one continent- we’ve called it Nuvaric, it’s where the orcs like to keep to themselves at now. They’ll stay on the mountain ranges closest to the sea on that one but not on the mountain range in the middle. I think mostly because there are taunston fortresses up and down the coast even there and mouras will nest their colonies next to any and all taunston settlements and fortresses because we share a very similar language and culture.” You explained. 

‘I’m not familiar with it.’ Jenya answered. 

“Oh let me show you. Can I have an old scale to use to draw it out for you in the hardened backed dirt of the barn flooor that they keep here in the barn?” You asked 

‘Pick a scale, any scale’ Jenya laughed before Daer happily took a mouthful of his old ones that were just on the edge of being molted off and gently handed it to you before you got to a space where they could both see you as you began to use the scale and your wings to hover over the floor as you drew as your wings fluttered over the ground like a hummingbird so you could reach down and draw while the rest of your body acted like it was laying on the floor while you used both hands to draw what you had seen on your flights, starting with your familiar north pole and a line to show where one ocean ended and other began so you could draw out the shapes of the continents and the mountain ranges and how the rivers flowed out from the mountains to the various lakes and seas and oceans before you made notes of where all the major water dragons nested in the seas that the merfolk had told you about when you got to meet up with them and talk to them from time to time.

All while you told them all about the world outside of Neveah. Where certain cities were. What peoples lived where. Where mouras had found good sites for colonies had been founded and were either built, being built or had been abandoned because they had already fallen to invaders and who had done so before you drew the rough shape of Neveah and it’s many islands even when they were hidden by fog before you drew the southern pole’s outline too. 

'Wow. You’ve seen a lot already. How old are you?' Jenya asked. 

“20. This winter solstice was my 20th winter solstice.” You answered as you finished and stood outside of your drawing and sat down in Jenya’s chest between her and her eggs as you gently touched them, feeling their heartbeats. You could sense they were happy to be with their clutchmates and their parents and safe and sound in the nest. 

‘I’d be honored if you sang them one of your lullabies. I can’t think of any better way for them to learn it than from you.’ Jenya invited as you turned and sat facing the eggs as you closed your eyes.

You recalled being in the dragon caves in your home colony as the tune soon spilled from your throat through your nose as your voice soon filled the whole barn. You reached under the quilt that laid over them and touched your hands to one then put your other hand over the other. You could feel the precious dragonette inside as they soon moved until they rested against your hands.

A tear glistened as it fell from your eyes as all you could think of was singing this song with your younger siblings, as your mother would lead this song as she nursed her newest baby on one breast and the one she was trying to wean from the other from her trusty old rocking chair as Jenya and Thyla and the other dragons could look in your memory and see what you could with your mind’s eye before Thyla let Nahlo see what she could see. 

“Lift me up. Hold me down. Keep me close, safe and sound…” You began to sing, your voice reaching that ethereal sweet spot as your voice soon practically reverberated through the barn and echoed as if you were in a temple. You were happy that the acoustics here in the barn were so lovely. Your moura marks came back and bloomed around you as they caught the moon’s glow from the skylight in the barn as they continued to glow and flow and pulse around you. You closed your eyes to really enjoy the moment, you didn’t notice how each spendril soon weaved around both Jenya and Daer and danced under the quilt around each dragon before the tendrils soon began to lift the actual quilt the more you sang and really threw yourself into singing your favorite lullabye your mother and your siblings sang, even when you had cousins of all kinds coming over to visit for a meal. 

‘Do all of the mouras do this?’ Daer whispered to his mate as he was so blown away to see this and was silently crying from the overwhelming feelings that were conveyed through your voice and through the moura marks encircling him and his clutch and even Thyla and the others that ventured close to watch in sheer awe and amazement as not a single person could keep from crying since everyone in Nahlo's family had come out into the barn to see this.

‘Yup. Now you see why I tried to get you into a colony. They may not have the telepathy that Neveahns naturally do, but they have their own kind of special gifts and magic. You should see them during the day. That’s when they become little rays of sunshine. They all sing this good and even better. They all dance better than any sprite and flitter around with their little wings of feathers. They love music of all kinds. And they heal all afflictions. Plus all the gold you could ever want. So what they lack in technological advancement, they make up for in many other ways. And now you see why every moura is connected to every dragon both in the waters, the land and skies and why every dragon who knows a moura, is willing to do all they can to help them, to protect them and befriend them and how even if dragon and moura are strangers, they’re still friends and family found in a way.’ She whispered back as she just watched as every single one of her dragonets practically danced and swirled in their eggs and the warmth of both the moura marks spiraling around them. Surprisingly they completely understood the meaning of the song and actually felt it and had they been any closer to hatching, she was sure that they would be hatching just to get into your arms to be held by you. 

Jenya began to cry because she had forgotten how beautiful this lullaby was and how it sounded the same way a warm blanket being wrapped around you felt as she remembered hearing this song while she was in her own egg back in the colony and many times throughout her own childhood. She remembered how it felt to be in the egg, both closed off from the outside world yet completely surrounded and connected to it and those in it and how bonded she felt to every moura, not just in the colony but all over the world. There was not a warmer people, a more hospitable people, a more loving, caring and nurturing people to be found in the whole world. And were that way towards each other because of the Great Hunt and what happened after the split of the species. Heavenly moura were still stuck up snobs. But mountain moura were the best of the best when it came to good, truly good people- in Jenya’s opinion. 

Not even here in Neveah where everything centered around her and her kind here. But here, they were still viewed as revered but pets nonetheless. Whereas in colonies she and her kind were viewed as equals or even superiors and were respected, revered, adored and beloved, wholly and completely as divine beings unto themselves.

And while the dragons had caves as opposed to barns. They could still keep their wild natures about them or be as docile and ‘domesticated’ as they wished to be. Which is why dragons would do everything in their power to protect its colony of friends and why many Neveahan dragons found refuge in colonies instead of coming home. Because while they weren’t fed to quite the extent Neveahans fed them. They were provided for and never went hungry as there always seemed to be just enough food to feed everyone, dragon and moura alike which is why most dragons didn’t get to be much bigger than herself, no matter how old they were. But they didn’t get as massive as the elder dragons could get here. To the point they could barely fly and had to resort to living in the oceans instead of flying in the skies and transition into the great water dragons of old back on the moura homeworld. 

As the song came to a close, the quilt gently settled over the clutch of eggs as the dragonettes inside were happy to settle down to sleep for the night, off to dream about a wonderful warm beings huddled in a room, all together and all holding each other as they all swayed to the heavenly music they made with their voices and other musical instruments. With a supreme sense of belonging, and family that was shared so much farther than by blood as the moura marks retreated and returned to just around you.

Nahlo fought not to fall to his knees as it felt like his heart broke just seeing how warm and loving your own humble home was because it was bursting at the seams and overflowed with such a strong sense of love, acceptance and belonging. No wonder you wanted to go back home. Anyone who would ever keep a moura from their own kind was no better than a monstrous beast. 

That and your mother tongue was the most beautiful language he had ever heard before in his life. Each syllable and word was a work of art. It made his own language sound crude even in his own ears. And your voice was the most beautiful, heavenly ethereal voice he had ever heard in his life. No technological enhancement needed. Just pure, raw musical talent. Holy shit, that was epic and amazing and Jenya had been right, it was a way of communicated that absolutely transcended language and even their own gifts for telepathy with the dragons but not really with each other. 

And when the song ended and the quilt magically and oh so gently laid once again over the clutch of eggs, his family couldn’t help but break out into applause. But only for you to look up and see them and spook for your wings to cover you as you dove for Jenya’s chest as she unfurled a wing to help hide you as Nahlo’s shoulders sagged as he ran his hands down his face in frustration over his family scaring you and spooking you and overwhelming you. 

‘It’s ok, it’s ok. You’re ok, you’re ok. They were just really touched and impressed by the song and want to show their appreciation for the gift you gave in sharing it with us. You don’t need to hide. It’s ok. They got to see a little bit of what you showed me. They know what you and your kind are supposed to look like and be like and they accept you and welcome you and want to help you get back to your old self or as close to it as you can be. They’re really nice, I promise. I would never have let them into this barn if I ever thought for a heartbeat that any of them meant you any harm. It’s ok. You don’t need to hide. I know you’re self conscious about your appearance, which you feel is very strange and what you fear is too strange for them. But they have seen many different kinds of people. You are not giving them the wrong impression about other mouras. If anything you couldn’t have much of a better one. They now are eager to make friends with every moura possible and show extra kindness to all the moura dragons who call this place home. They have more food for you if you’re hungry and you get a whole guest house to yourself if you want it or even just a room if you don’t want to be that isolated from other people. Even as different than you are to them. If mouras and dragons can be friends. Mouras and Naveahans can too. And the gap between the two is way smaller than you think it is. It’s ok. They’ll take really good care of you, they’ll even hug you like long lost family if you’d let them.’ Jenya soothed.

Even Thyla was outside of her mother’s wing with the other dragons in an instant as they were all repeating Jenya’s sentiments as you used your arms and wings to hug around Jenya before she slowly lowered her wing before you were surrounded by the other subadults all of them doing their best to comfort you and assure you and reassure you before Nahlo slowly approached with his mom first because he figured that would be the first and most appropriate person for you to meet first. 

‘This is Thylo’s mother - repeat after me- Sef-ah-ti. Or Madre- that’s their word for ‘mom’ here so it’s ‘Sali Madre Sefahti.’ Thyla coached you through the greeting. 

“Sali Madre Sefahti.” You tried to greet her as best you could.  

“Sali Aurava Moonchild…” She greeted you as she enveloped you into her arms and it was such a relief to feel the warmth of a mother’s hug as you hugged her back just as tightly, your wings wrapping around her too as she pat your back between where your wings sprouted from your back before you did the same with Thylo’s dad Undilla then Thylo’s sisters were next while Thylo hung back with the rest of his brothers as Thylo was muttering something to them under his breath through his pleasant smile of gritted teeth but Axera’s snickering along with the other dragons doing the same got your attention. 

‘What’s so funny?’ You mentally asked Axera.

‘Thylo is threatening his brothers with bodily harm if they so much as look at you wrong and are any less than perfect gentlemen in your presence because of the song you sang, all his brothers were willing to offer for you to find all the “comfort” and “safety” in their own arms that you’d ever want because they think you’re the...’ Axera muttered to you before Thyla stomped on Axera’s foot and bumped him with her rear end as she cut her eyes at him dangerously before he could finish that sentence in your mind as the other dragons outright laughed at the way Thyla was yelling at Axera and telling him to go fly home for the night. 

‘Ahem, they think you’re lovely and charming and understand why you’d be shy. Hell, most of them would shit themselves if they tried to survive even a fraction of what you’ve gone through.’ Jenya interrupted. 

“Ah, I see.” You nodded as you blushed before you officially got to meet Manidore and all of Thylo’s other brothers as Thylo urged them to only shake your hands and not actually embrace you, just in case you weren’t comfortable with that level of intimacy from them, which was great relief actually for you as his parents agreed that was friendly and intimate enough, before you got to meet all the kids who called this place home as you felt so happy to kneel to be eye level with them as they asked you what the moon was like, because your name was Moonchild, so therefore you must have been a child of the moon which got you to laugh and smile. 

“No, that’s just my name. I’ve never been to the moon. It’s too far away up in space for me to get to it. You see what you see from the ground, you see clouds right? Where that’s where my kind come from and where they call home. Is the clouds, then there’s low heaven just beyond that, then middle heaven, then high heaven and then the crystal angles who rule the crystal realm the covers the whole world and protect it from other words converging here or other aliens from other worlds coming here when there’s already 5 planets worth of peoples here on this one planet that has three planets all in one. During the summer solstice when my kind flies around the middle of the world over this line here…” You began before you pointed the map you had drawn out and pointed to the huge circles where middle earth could get their sunshine and then the core beyond that. Then you made a map of middle earth and then the core because during the spring and fall equinox, the three levels of the supersphere aligned and mouras could, literally fly straight through to the core, fly around the core and then fly out to the other side of the world in one straight shot with a small curve in the middle over the core that could be done in only an hour but it had to be that quick because so many partook in the flight because the window to fly it only lasted 12 hours and only 10,000 could ever fit through at a single time and usually at least a hundred thousand mouras partook in the flight, usually it was part of the rite of passages between the solstices and done as missile hawks because you needed the speed and agility. And was the only two times of the year that such great distances could be traveled so quickly. 

“You can become a missile hawk?” The children all asked as Jenya translated their words so you could understand them as if they were actually speaking your language to you before you did so as they all gasped and giggled in delight as you flitted from one to an other, flying in circles around them, literally until they got dizzy and fell down on their butts before they all erupted into giggles on the ground as they rolled around and you didn’t care if the map was messed up. The kids were laughing as were the adults before you transformed back into yourself and helped them back up to their feet and helped dust them off. 

“So did you fly here?” They asked you. 

“Yeah, by accident, but yeah. As it wasn’t necessarily a flight as much as it was a crash.” You answered with a rub to your wings as you could still sense a few phantom pains. 

“How?” The kids asked with thier big bright eyes. 

“Well I’m from all the way at the other pole of the supersphere. And up there, we have Aurora borealis, it’s like your own southern lights but very different colors. And I was so distracted by them I dropped altitude and I got caught in the storm. And I got struck by lightning which why I glow right now. And then right before went splat like a bug, I balled up in my wings.” You answered. 

“You can ball up?” They asked. 

“Yup. Like this.” You began before you broke out into a run to gain momentum before you got into the ball formation with your outer wings with the armor and purposefully rolled around the dragons and their huge clutch of eggs between them before you rolled back around to them. Only this time, you were able to stop on your own feet instead of on your back on the ground. 

“Like that.” You answered before all the kids tried to crawl into your arms so they could roll around in your wings with you. 

“But then you’d get even more dizzy and you might throw up. And after helping my mom raise 16 younger siblings, trust me. Puke is the hardest thing to get out of wings.” You tried to gently discourage him. 

“16?!” The whole family repeated. 

“Yeah, And I have 8 more older siblings who helped raise me too.” You smiled happily before Thylo’s mother and sisters all made a gesture over themselves and said a prayer aloud to bless your mother and her patience to have so many children. 

“So mouras don’t have anything like..birth control?” Sefhati asked. 

“Oh we do. And trust me, we use a lot of it. We just like to have large families. Anything less than 6 or 8 is seen as a couple only wanting a very small family. Mouras usually have their kids by the dozen. So if you think 24 kids is a lot. My father’s cousin’s cousin who is still in the cloud realm, they were born the same year. But his second cousin is on kid number 46 or maybe 47 now. Because the gestation is a lot shorter in the clouds than it is on the ground, like ground mouras take on average of 10 months for gestation. But the heavenly moura only have half of that. And they don’t use any birth control up there.” You answered as Sefhati had to actually have her husband help her sit down to keep her from passing out.  

“How?!” Thylo’s sister asked, as even she was having a hard time wrapping her head around that number. 

“Only 4 and a half to five months gestation, and no breastfeeding, no potty training, just fully functional little beings with wings that can get all the sustenance they need from the sun itself straight from the womb. No hunger, no thirst. No need for clothing for the moura cloak provides all the clothing they would ever want or need. They don’t even have a painful birth. They just pop out a toddler the way we would burp or pass gas. Heavenly moura don’t even naturally develop breasts, because they never have nursing babes to nurse. But that doesn’t stop from heavenly moura women coming to the colonies to eat surface food just long enough to develop them just to fly back up the clouds for the pure aesthetic of breasts. Because to heavenly moura, when money is no object, when everyone can build mansions and castles and palaces out of the clouds themselves with their own two hands and two wings. With no slave, no master, only a king who holds that position in title only and doesn’t actually rule over them the way other kings on the surface do, all they have is their own vanity and drive to reproduce as much as physically possible.” You shrugged. 

“Oohh,” they all said at the same time in understanding and realization.

“Ok, now those numbers are making sense.” Thylo admitted. 

“Yeah, and the way heavenly moura look at beauty and judge it is…well…alien. Even to me. It makes no sense.” You admitted. 

“What do they look for?” Manidore asked before you turned your back to him and fully extended your wings before flapping them a little for emphasis as you held and swayed with Thylo’s toddler of a niece in your arms as she was just completely enchanted by all the electrum glitter still on your face as you swayed with her in your arms since she reminded you of your own little sister Siremora. 

“Symmetry of the wings. For them? It’s all about the wings. The proportions of the various sections of the wings.” You began as you concentrated and separated the various sections of the feathers for emphasis like a person spreading out their fingers and wiggling them. 

“The size, shape and color of each individual feather on each wing. And yes, they actually do have the time to count and preen each and every single feather and if a feather slips out of place, they pluck it out themselves and then pluck the other corresponding one on the other wing to again- find a way to achieve perfect symmetry until the feathers can grow back in hopefully correctly the next time.” You explained before you folded them back in and turned back around. 

“Otherwise, the only other thing they care about is pedigree. Who are your parents, your grandparents, great grandparents etc and specifically to make sure all those lines of parentage can be traced back to before the convergence on the homeworld.” You finished with a dismissive wave.  

“But the mouras on the ground. It’s not that way for you?” Sefhati asked as you shook your head no adamantly with a happy smile.

“No, ground moura, once we eat surface food and engage our digestive tract for far denser surface food, it’s hard to stay in the clouds. And especially once a mother who is pregnant eats surface food, all of her children will need to nurse and eat surface food too. Which, that was found out the hard way. Because honestly besides sunshine, there’s ways you can make a food like substance out of the clouds. But it’s, very light and doesn’t really have much taste or any flavor to speak of. It tastes the way it smells up there. Which is light and fresh but no sweet, no sour, no spicy, no umami, no savory, no salty. None of that.” You continued to explain. 

“Can you make us some?” The kids asked. 

“Do you want to know what this barn tastes like? Because if I make some right this second. I pull the trace particles from the air to make it and we’re in a dragon barn. Do you want to taste dragon barn?” You asked. 

“Yeah!” All the kids said. 

“Really?” You asked them before you looked to their parents before looking at Thyla and then to Jenya who were all shaking their heads no. 

“Yeah, they’re saying no. I trust the dragons. Because always, when in doubt, trust a dragon.” You tried to gently dissuade them. 

“Please?!” All the kids begged. 

“Ok, fine, only if all your parents will eat it too.” You offered. 

“No!” All the mothers boomed. 

“Oh but it would make the kids so happy. I’ll try it.” Manidore charmingly volunteered as all the adults slowly turned their heads to look at him like he had lost his mind. 

“Ok. It’s gonna taste really gross but if that’s what you really want.” You grimaced as you moved little Alie to one side of your body and rested her on what was left of your hip before you raised your hand above your head and winced as you mentally called a coru cloud to your hand and opened your eyes to see that one had formed around your hand before you tentatively held it out to Minidore before he took a piece and took a bite before he coughed and sputtered and started to gag before he tried to pass it off to Nahlo or anyone else.

“It’s really good, you should try it.” Manidore coughed as his face flushed red before the kids pulled your hand down to all take a bite before they all shrilly squealed and made faces but laughed as they all agreed it was gross before you readily made it dissipate and wiped your hand off on your clothes.

“The morning dew is by far the tastiest and most refreshing of it if you’re gonna have any at all.” You amended. 

“Can we have that tomorrow?” All the kids asked. 

“Yes, but for now, we should get inside. It’s getting late and dark and the storms are coming in from the outer ring.” You suggested as you could feel them start to get closer before the whole family rushed to get you and everyone inside before the rain started and you turned your wings up to keep all the kids under them to keep them dry as you followed Thylo back into his parent’s house where dinner was being put together as even the mothers giggled as they took refuge under your wings too before you shook off the excess water before you pulled your wings all the way back inside your body as all the subadult dragons came around the house to poke their heads inside to still serve as translators for you and for everyone else as Jen ya gave each of the subadults the extra edge on how to translate like she was doing as Daer helped her pass down the entire marinai language to them so they could translate it as you said it so that to Nahlo and his family, it was like you were speaking thier language and they were speaking you.

“How do you do that?” Manidore asked in astonishment as he had held the inner door open while Thylo had held the outer door open to make sure you got inside before he did.

“How do you stand up?” You asked him as he had to stop and wrap his head around how to answer that with anything other than ‘I just do’. 

“So what colors are the aurora borealis in your home?” Cadi asked you happily tried to help the others try to at least cook in the kitchen. 

“All the other colors that aren’t your own.” You told her as you helped wash vegetables in the sink before you passed them off to be cut up and put into another pan over the fire because you didn’t trust yourself to touch anything metal, for fear it would all turn into electrum before the mother turned on a machine in the kitchen and the image of people came up on the screen as it was showing two people with floating, signs on it. 

'What is that?’ You asked Thyla who currently had her head in the kitchen window. 

‘The thing is called a TV and what is on the TV is the news that is broadcast all over the nation of islands.' Thyla told you as you could tell she was trying to concentrate on what they were saying as all the dragons were listening intently to what was being said so your mind was for once, quiet except for your own thoughts before there was an announcement, that a battery recharging system had been put into place and for the whole nation to bring any batteries that needed to be recharged to be brought back to the powerplant the next day. 

‘Is that for me? To help me drain my excess power?’ You asked Thyla. 

‘Yes!’ Thyla beamed happily before they reported that there had been a change to the island as they showed a view from above the nation how there was a mini aurora borialis that circled and swirled just immediately over your island before Nahlo was quick to turn the TV off. Just in case it turned bad. 

“Woah! I’ve never seen those colors before.” The kids exclaimed. 

“Well now you have.” You smiled as you tried to stamp down your nerves as the adults gave themselves questioning then meaningful looks to leave the subject alone as Sefahti immediately changed the topic of conversation to tell you all about the foods you were helping to make as the men of the family seemed to withdraw and talk to each other quietly in the other room while the other women in his family seemed to keep you distracted and talking to you enough that you barely noticed the other half’s absence. 

“What are we gonna do if she’s found out? If they go to that island and see what she did to it. They’ll think she’s here to scope the place out for invasion. Everyone is going to think that every moura is like her and not realize that she’s one of a kind. Because while Isla as pull over her caretakers and over the other moura dragons. She doesn’t have that much pull or authority to Neveah as a whole.” Nahlo breathed anxiously to his family. 

“Like it was so hard to just keep her concealed today. Even with our clothes, even as shy and skittish as she is. If they flip this and look at this under the wrong light, this could blow up in our faces. At the very least, she’ll be arrested, detained, imprisoned and she deserves better than that. We need to protect her and keep her here and keep her safe. She has every reason to be scared shitless that everyone is gonna turn on her. Hell if Neveah as a whole does. Half our dragons who are moura dragons will outright leave the country, with or without their clutches in tow. Then that’ll get spun into the mouras taking their dragons back by force and then hysteria will break out among the dragons and then the populous because everyone will think the spheres are un-converging or at the very least a war is on the horizon and then Neveah will put a shield up to not let anything in or out and be put on lockdown. We can’t have that.” Nahlo expounded. 

“Agreed. From now on, she doesn’t go anywhere alone. All the subadult dragons stay with her at all times. I don’t care if I have to set up a cot for her in the barn or hide her in the basement or let all the subadults into the guest house, or into this one or whatever. She’s part of the family as far as I’m concerned. And even if we didn’t have half our dragons at risk. She is clearly innocent and just the victim of a tragic accident. From now on, no public outings. If we need to sneak her to the other farms to the other moura dragons, fine. But otherwise taking her to the plant to help recharge the batteries, that’s it. Until she can fully blend in with everyone else. I want her protected and chaperoned. And boys, hands off. I know she’s beautiful and practically enchanting, but this was the epitome of a fluke. But the sooner we can get her healed, and the sooner we can undo this, the better.” Undilla urged his sons and his sons in law. 

“I tried to cover up her tracks on the island she crashed on. But there’s no way to get all that electrum glitter off. There was a ton of it all over.” Manidore explained. 

“It’s not glitter. It’s her blood. What you saw was her blood all over that island.” Nahlo revealed. 

“What?” Everyone asked. 

“When the lightning hit her. And she crashed on that island and bounced around like a football, the moment she touched her own wounds, she turned the iron in her blood to electrum. And when it struck her the second time. It burned off everything except for the electrum. So all that electrum glitter you see on her, that’s her own blood that’s dried and crusted off of her. Grandma Isla tried to heal her insides from the electrum coursing through her heart, her lungs, her brain, all her vital organs, like having countless little needles or bullets in your bloodstream. It’s a miracle she’s alive and what I’m worried most about is if we find a way to reverse what happened to her- all the healing that the second bolt of lightning did to her. Will reverse and she won’t survive that. I think she’s stuck the way she is forever. She is the first of her kind. And she knows it and she is scared shitless." Nahlo explained.

"Why?" Undilla asked.

"Jenya and Isla both told me that she fears she’ll restart the Great Hunt her species has already endured. Because you saw for yourselves, she has magic and abilities that we can’t even fathom or understand yet. She and the moura dragons told us that the first three hundred years after the convergence, her kind was hunted, captured and enslaved by anyone and everyone- humans from earth doing so the most. All the great cities that now cover the world? Every. Single. One. Came into existence because the founders captured a moura. And then forced them to interbreed with themselves. Jenya told me that the reason why the ones who had endured that, and survived their captors- their halfbreed children couldn’t go up into the heavens with thier parents. Which is why there is now a moura country on the surface. And the one and only place any other moura takes refuge on the surface goes. Because even their own kind won’t let any halfbreeds back into the heavens, even when they were taken out of them by force and against their will. So if we hear reports about mouras being sexual deviants, know that they didn’t really have a choice.” Nahlo revealed lowly as he felt his anger boil and lick up his spine. 

“And then to have our own dragons tell them that if they were to ever set foot on Neveahan soil that they would be met with the same treatment? That’s just adding insult to injury. It’s been almost 500 years since the convergence. I think if we were ever going to un-converge, it would have been by now. And with the moura’s home world being a waterworld where they and their children have no chance at living in? Aurava told me that none of the moura would ever go back, even given the chance. And honestly, if the chance to un-converge happened tomorrow. There would be plenty of space on our own homeworld for them. And I have no problems sharing a whole planet with literal embodiments of the heavens. Do any of you? Hell the moura dragons are, in a lot of respects, better in so many ways than our own even when we’re too proud to admit it. And honestly, they’ve found a way to not only survive but thrive, even despite all of that.” Nahlo ventured. 

“I know I wouldn’t say no to them at least wanting to explore our homeworld if we or our grandchildren or whatever ever get a chance to go back.” Manidore readily admitted as the other single ones had to readily admit that you were, frankly, gorgeous and oh so sexy, even sick, even not at your “prime”. 

“So it’s decided. She’s staying and even if we have to hold her hand all the way back home just to make sure she makes it home safe and sound. That’s what we’ll do.” Undilla decided before there was a round of nods before they went back in to set up the table. 

The second dinner was actually wonderful. The food was delicious, the variety of wines were amazing and the family was so warm and inviting and you actually felt comfortable and welcome here as you could do nothing but laugh when all the metal utensils you touched turned to electrum. You tried to apologize but the family refused to hear of it and if anything, it became something of a neat party trick to the kids especially as Alie still wanted to be held by you and fed by you too. Which you didn't mind one bit.

The dragons actually slowly lessoned all the translating so that you all could at least start to learn the other’s language and numbers you used a pen to write out your alphabet and show the other kids your alphabet and system and how to read the letters and which combinations were used to make different sounds and parts of speech as you used the objects around the house to learn at least bits and pieces and the basic nouns as you were happy when you managed to wrap your tongue around their language pretty well while they had a hard time wrapping their tongues around yours and some of the subtle intricacies of it but it was a start. 

After dinner, you managed to try to get the clothes back to try to mend them because you felt bad that there they tried to clothe you to help you blend in and you shredded the cloth off of you, even if it wasn’t intentional. 

“How did you even cut it anyway?” Genemare, Nahlo’s sister asked you as you looked over the garments and put the garments flat over the now cleaned off kitchen table before you just barely let the edge of your wings leave your back to reveal how they- at that point had razor sharp edges. 

“Mouras- during the Great Hunt, got blessed by the actual and real angels of heaven. They gave us better ways to defend ourselves when the phoenix fire failed to protect us from our predators who adapted to it. So they gave us weapons at our fingertips.” You explained before you reached behind you and pulled the second primary feather that was just like the first as the feather magically transformed into a sword of it’s own before you handed her the handle before the other family members came around to marvel at it as you mentally had to keep the feather in a sword shape because usually the moment the moura was not holding it, it usually transformed back into a primary feather. 

“Quite the blessing.” Nahlo appraised as he marvled at the sword in his hand as the edge was indeed so sharp, just a simply napkin shredded itself over the edge once it was dropped over. 

“But even this is no match for the new weapons that were used against us once our predators found this defense." You sighed.

“They would just pluck your feathers?” He guessed. 

“They would put us into harnesses that even these blades could not cut or break. Also, this.” You said before you finally stopped concentrating and Nahlo watched in awe as it once again transformed to a large feather in his hands before he handed it back to you before you put it back into place before he sat next to you at the table as others looked over their houses for the right color threads to do the repairs. 

“What in this world would that not cut?” Nahlo asked. 

“Real, naturally occurring gold. The harnesses weigh anywhere from 100lbs to 200 lbs, just by themselves, depending on the thickness and solidity of the gold used.” You answered. 

“Oh good God.” Nahlo coughed like he just got sucker punched in the gut as you used your own feather to make yourself a needle to begin to sew the garments back together. 

“Wait, you’ve had to wear one?” He asked. 

“I didn’t have to, I volunteered to.” You grinned. 

“Why?” He asked. 

“So, in Dorierra, which was the first moura city ever built by our once enslaved and then freed foremothers and forefathers, every single citizen is a soldier. As soon as children are fully weaned and can stand on their own two feet, they’re taught to fight, how to defend themselves. And then over the last 300 years, the training became a sport. They call it Kamoba. And they have games and championships in it. So, to make it extra difficult. It is played wearing the harnesses that once restrained and imprisoned our foremothers and fathers. So that we will know how to overcome any foe, any weapons used against us, even without any abilities we may possess. They have made special hindering collars, out of silver- that completely hinder any magical ability or power. So they basically turn us into humans from their homeworld of Earth. And those beings have no magic, no special abilities. And are just plain and simple flesh and blood but with a very highly creative and ingenious mind. The games are actually played with the silver collars, and the gold harnesses. It’s very hard, but very satisfying to know that even if you’re stripped of everything that makes you a moura. And you are reduced to our next closest genetic relative- humans, that now- instead of being helpless and relying solely on magic and abilities to get yourself and anyone else out of danger, that you can and that you will. It’s the only time when mouras will ever raise a sword or any other weapon against any other of the breathren. And the fighters must both be able to fight off their attackers, but still have the control to stop themselves from delivering a killing strike.” You revealed.

“And you competed?” He asked. 

“I did.” You nodded with a laugh. 

“How did you do?” He asked. 

“Well, when the mouras do their summer solstice flight and land in Dorierra to rest, the mountain moura are invited to try and compete if we want to. So we learn the basics and the beginnings of the training. And are invited back to train more if we want to after the flight. And the visiting moura are put into small classes of their own of only 20-30 students per class and many, many classes make up a division. And then once you learn everything you can, then you are set against everyone else in the class until a class champion is determined and then that class champion is set against all the other class champions. And then the winner of the division is then set against the lowest rung of locals. And then there is nothing more humbling than getting your ass handed to you by an 8 year old.”  You explained. 

“Oof.” Nahlo frowned.

But Thyla showed him through your memories what it was like to do fight and compete and feel the strength and power drain from your body with the collar and then encumbered by the harness to the point you had to kneel because if you sat down or laid down, you were never going to get back up. And then what it was like to fight the others, using wooden weapons that wouldn’t cut but would definitely pack a wallop of a bruise before he saw how you won your class and even your division, only to lose to an 8 year old who had been training since he was 3 and was wearing a harness that was equal to his own body weight while he did so too.

Then Nahlo got to see more of the experience and how the other moura males seemed to want nothing to do with you, even in the flights. As the “prettier” girls were drooled over and even with you winning your division and having a trophy. Other than pleasant and polite congratulations, otherwise you were practically ignored otherwise because you had bested all the other males who had their own egos bruised by your superior skill and strength while the girls lost on purpose to help boost the male’s fragile egos to make themselves out to still be the ‘helpless, delicate, fragile, damsel’ as Nahlo frowned. 

“What are you showing him?” You asked Thyla before Nahlo opened his eyes. 

“After the championship, at the feast. How you had that trophy but the other guys got butt hurt that you bested them and couldn’t lose graciously. That was just plain insulting.” Thalo said. 

“Can you drink hard alcohol?” He asked. 

“Yup.” You nodded. 

“Awesome.” He grinned as he got up and opened a bottle of whiskey for you as the other girls were happy to simply place the various threads on the table and leave the two of you there otherwise as even Nahlo got a needle and thread and helped you mend the garments too between sipping the whisky as you were pleasantly surprised by it's smoky but sweet flavors. It was wonderful and complex and delicious.

You were happy to talk about the differences in culture between the mountain moura, heavenly moura and Doreierran moura as it was clear that was once one peoples, had developed into over a hundred subspecies here and how it seemed like every day there were new ones being born with new characteristics because of the new ways the species as a whole intermingled with the other species and with each other. 

“You know, if you put leather along these slits. Maybe they wouldn’t get shredded if you have to wear this again and your wings need to come out. At least on the shirts.” Nahlo realized. 

“Yeah, actually that would be really smart.” You readily agreed. 

“Give me one moment.” He held up a finger before he left as you stopped sewing the garment before he came back with a huge bag of leather and a case that had a special machine inside. 

“What is that?” You asked him as he openned the case and revealed a special machine with a needle in it. 

“It’s a sewing machine. But specifically, it’s one that was used for leather.” Nahlo admitted as he tried to measure the slits. 

“Wouldn’t it be better to measure me?” You asked him. 

“Uh, yeah I guess.” Nahlo before you changed your moura cloak into a backless garment that you usually wore so that the cloak itself wouldn’t have to constantly move and mold around the wings themselves before you turned in your chair and pulled your hair up to show how the lines came from the collar, down your back, along both sides of your spine before they then followed your butt, and thighs all the way down to just above your ankles. Nahlo blushed deeply as he tried to focus on the task at hand and batting Axera’s image of how your body usually looked like at full health, all petite, but plump and powerful and not so skinny where he could both see and practically feel your bones through a thin but powerful set of muscles. 

“Yeah, I got the measurement.” He said.

“Oh, they also come out at an angle, should you measure that too?” You asked. 

“Yeah..yeah I probably should.” He agreed as he took a special tool to measure at what angle they came out of you as he noticed the collar stayed on the neck and was made out of electrum. 

“This is my moura collar. It’s what enables me to have the ability to have the wings and change shape. It used to be that the moura cloak and collar were two separate things. The cloak always stayed with the moura to serve as clothes and feathers depending what we want. But when the angles gave us the razor feathers, they changed the nature of the collar and the cloak only a hundred years after the convergence. So now the collar and the cloak are now one thing, instead of two things. Each one is unique to the moura, like a fingerprint.” You explained as you could feel his eyes stare at it in awe. 

“Yeah you can touch it.” You invited before he really needed to say anything before he did as he was surprised when it both felt slightly metallic but also felt soft and warm like skin too. It looked like the most beautiful necklace he had ever seen and knew that not even the greatest artisan with the greatest technology could ever replicate something so divinely natural. 

“Mouras usually trade collars when they take a moura mate. It’s what binds a couple together. Something similar to what you have with Thyla. But, still different and hard to describe.” You began. 

“Once we started to get hunted. The king proclaimed that no one unmated who had already switched their collars with their mates could ever touch the ground or fly lower than the clouds because obviously the hunters went after the young, inexperienced and vulnerable first and usually women, seeing them as th weaker of the two sexes. So when a moura woman was captured and her collar was stripped from her, what the captors really got was her mate’s collar and were bound to him instead. So he would give his mate’s collar back to her so she could escape and fight to the death to get his own back from whoever was stupid and desperate enough to take it from her in the first place. And then he made a call to call all other moura in the area to come and help him. But they weren’t always successful. So then the men were targeted, trying to get the female collars from them because the women were seen as usually smaller and therefore weaker. So that’s when the split happened. Moura who swore off the surface and others who had no choice but to embrace it.” You revealed softly as Nahlo could only shake his head. Fearing that if Neveahan’s didn’t view mouras as enemies, they would start to see them as valuable and potentially prey too. 

“Why’d they take the collars, does whoever wear it give them the powers?” Nahlo asked as he stepped back and sat down to write down the measurements as you sat next to him and took a sip of whisky from your glass while your moura cloak into something much more modest.  

“Well that was the point of making the cloak and collar into one thing. Because a moura without a collar is not much better than a human. And while anyone could put on a moura collar, it may not do much of anything for them. Other than prolong their own lifetime and keep them free of sickness. Because so far, mouras are immune to all sickness and to a degree, can heal. But even mouras have limits to our powers and abilities. And it changes from individual to individual." You began.

"But?" Nahlo gently pressed as he sensed there was more to this.

"But the scariest thing is finding out that our genetics when mixed with others, has a very short half life. And now we have half mouras, who only grow half wings, half cloaks and half collars that barely cover the back of the neck at all. The wings aren’t really good for much other than gliding or giving the moura who has them just a bit more speed when running on their own two feet. We call them roof jumpers. Because while they may not be able to fly around the colonies, they can jump from rooftop to rooftop and travel a bit faster than those who choose to move on the streets themselves. But the truly vulnerable are the mouras who are now being born without the collar altogether. They’re moura by name and culture but not by heritage and gift. So to protect the most vulnerable of us, the colonies are now being built like mazes. Where streets naturally split off or deadend or twist and turn. It’s meant to confuse any would be invaders. But obviously is easy to navigate from above and easy to navigate if you're born into it. ” You answered. 

“So what happens when colonies are invaded?” Nahlo asked as he began to pull out rolls leather strips to make the leather edges of the shirts. 

“All those with collars take to the skies. They create coru clouds out of thin atmosphere and build sanctuaries in them for the others to take refuge in during the attack, out of what you first saw me wearing. The others that don’t have the collars have to go into the tunnels and hide in the bunkers under the colonies themselves.  While the individuals who can transform into the mega-phoenixs guard the doors to the bunkers to burn whoever manages to find them to capture the collarless mouras and half mouras. And when they fail. The collarless half is usually ransomed to the collared half in the good scenarios." You revealed lowly as watched the golden liquid swirl in the glass.

"And in the bad ones?" He asked, his voice a soft murmur.

"In the bad ones, it’s either slaughter or slavery. Because a moura without a collar, even when they’re not born with one, is..comparatively speaking, practically helpless.” You revealed before you huffed a mirthiless laugh into your whiskey in the glass after you finished it off before you helped yourself to another glass of it.  

“You know what’s really sad and so ironic it’s almost funny? Is that every class champion, they were blessed to be able to turn into mega- pheonixes, that are the same size as Jenya. To help protect their home colonies, specifically the bunkers of the collarless. So it was probably because I was gifted with that ability that kept the lightning from destroying me completely. Because I was already supercharged with power and magic and special abilities, very few have. But it just sucks because now, I don’t know if I still have that anymore, or if the lightning took that away from me along with…everything else, it both took from me yet gave me and changed about me. And now all I can do is pray that no invaders come to my colony because my post back home is to protect the collarless mouras in the bunkers and now, I don't know if anyone will be able to take up that post from me.”  You admitted as you simply swirled the whiskey in the glass to help it breathe better. 

“Well then we should really work on fully healing you and doing everything we can to help get you back home as soon as we can. Granted not that we necessarily want to see you go, because you’re awesome company to have. But if you being here means an entire city is now vulnerable. I don’t think any of us would forgive ourselves if anything happened to it because you weren’t there to protect it.” He offered. 

“It would never be your fault. By now, I think everyone in my family simply assumes I met a guy on the flight and followed him home and are simply waiting for me to pick up my stuff when I get a chance, which may take a few years. Because usually when a moura has a post before their final flight, it’s not unusual for them to be replaced pretty easily from other mouras who had the same gift bestowed to them take their place that move to another colony following another home. So chances are, most have yet to even notice or care that I’m missing. And Neveah is too far away even for the dragons to communicate to the other dragons beyond. But even if they knew I was here, they would never risk an incident with- what we’ve been told- are a hostile people. Because we’ve been raised to always, always listen to and trust the dragons and that the dragons would and will never lie to us and communicate things to us that they see that we can’t.” You mused before you took the last of it in one gulp to help numb the pain of homesickness.

“Aurava, would you like a bath and get cleaned up?” Cadi asked. 

“Yes, please.” You smiled before you got up and she showed you to the bathroom where a large bathtub was already filled with hot water before she showed you the various soaps and shampoos and conditioners, combs, brushes, hair conditioners, body scrubs, body oils and lotions. The only thing like it was the extensive and downright amazing bath houses in Dorierra.

You could only cry in sweet relief to dip into the soothing waters and watched, both in surprise and in morbid curiosity as the electrum glitter sloughed off of you like aadragon with it’s old dragon scales as the bottom of the bathtub now practically had a layer of it, like a superfine sand. 

Now now that it had all settled to the bottom, you took your hand and soon swept over it before it all became one solid lump in your hand. Now you collect more of it so it would no longer be like a trail of breadcrumbs, always betraying where you were or where you had gone or where you were going to go from here. 

You were so happy and relieved to finally be clean and felt refreshed before you began to feel sleepy. So you got out of the bathtub, careful to make sure you got every speck of electrum because you didn’t want it to ruin the plumbing here. 

You got changed into the clothing that Cadi had put in here before you put on a robe and came out into the hallway where you heard Axera tell you to turn left because the bedroom was down that way and the second door. Where Axera was there already waiting beside your bed before you went in there and were greeted with such a lovely room. 

“Before I go to bed. I need your help.” You told Axera. 

‘Anything.’ Axera offered. 

“Tell me how to say ‘thank you for saving my life’, in Neveahan.” You requested before Axera walked you through how to say it. But by the time you got it right, most had gone to bed. 

“Where does Nahlo sleep?” You asked Axera. 

‘Uh, let me ask.’ He said before he stuck his head out the window of the room and talked to Thyla. 

“Ask Thyla to simply keep the window open to his room large enough that a small bird will be able to slip through. I want to thank him. It’ll only take a moment.” You told him.

‘On the other side of the house, second window from the edge of the house.’ Axera told you. 

“Ok, I’ll be right back.” You told him before you transformed into a small hummingbird and flew around the house and found Nahlo’s room just as he was taking his shirt off to reveal his tattoos. 

‘Hurry up before he takes off anything else.’ Thyla told you. 

“Right.” You whispered before you flew in and gave Nahlo little warning other than to transform into your human form and hug him from behind. 

“Thank you Nahlo, for rescuing me and saving my life. I would be lost without you.” You murmured as you pressed your face against his back as he looked down but couldn’t stop himself from smiling when he recognized your glowing arms around him, then to feel your wings surround him in their ethereal softness was like be embraced by heaven itself.

“You’re welcome. And I’m sure that if I had the great blessing of crash landing in a colony, that you and your family and your people would have done everything they could to help me.” He told you. Thanks to Thyla translating it for you. 

“Without a heartbeat of hesitation.” You reassured him. Before you kissed the center of his back. 

“Sweet dreams.” You whispered before you withdrew and flew out the window before you were in danger of saying or doing anything more.

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024 Day 25- Harpy / Moura Part 3

As always, Huge thanks to @borealwrites for their amazing Monster March 2024 Prompt List.

Part 3

Come morning you heard a knocking on the metal which woke you up before you got out of bed and put on the coru cloud garment to answer the call and stretched the coru cloud thin enough that you could see through it but hopefully it wouldn’t blind whoever you were looking at only to open the curtain and be met with a welder in full welding gear who waived hi at you before you put your arms through the sleeves you had made of the garment and waived back. 

“Oh thank you so much for coming! May peace and blessings be with you.” You greeted the dragon and her rider who were at the door. 

‘Of course, I told you I would come back for you and help you. This is my rider Nahlo. He’s a welder and an electrician, he’s here to help you and has many ideas and plans for how to help you too. He means you no harm either. He just wants to help. I would never allow anyone near you that would ever hurt you.’ The dragon told you telepathically. 

“Hi, I’m Aurava, tell him thank you so, so much for coming here and trying to help me. What’s your name?” You asked the dragon. 

‘I’m Thyla. My mother is Jenya, a moura dragon from a moura colony called Pheray, and she taught me your marinai so you can still speak to me and I’ll serve as your translater while you’re here. My mother chose to stay mated with my father who is native to Neveah so I also speak the native language here too. Neveahans are dragon keepers and dragon riders just like mouras are. From a different world than what we came from. But they are good people, just like mountain colony moura are. They too have domesticated their dragons to take on a rider. But while they appear human, they are not human, thankfully much far removed from and different than, just like moura. They have telepathic abilities with the dragons. Different than what mouras do. With mouras it’s feelings and intentions, but with Neveahan’ its much more language and imagery based. They have their own magic too. So I’m sure we’ll be able to heal you and help you to get home. It’s a great idea to make yourself a coru cloud garment to protect us. It will make riding me back to the mainland easier too.’ Thyla informed you happily and proudly as she was so happy she didn’t have to shield her eyes from you and the coru cloud was just thin enough she could see your face and actually make eye contact with you as she actually smiled at you as you shyly returned her smile back to her. 

“But I don’t know if I can move from the outer ring. The electromagnetic cores of the outer islands won’t let me, the magnetism is too strong. I turned this island’s core from raw ore to electrum so it’s lost its magnetism, which is how I’m upright and not flat on my face or my back. But it’s still highly conductive so it’s good Nahlo is covered in insulting leather and whatever else is making up his garment.” You told her as you gestured to Nahlo and what he was wearing. 

‘Oh, they call the other stuff- rubber. It’s also insulating from electric current. But hang on one moment as I tell him about the magnetism.’ She offered before she turned to her rider as the two seemed to have their own conversation. 

‘Let’s try. Can you make the coru cloud kind of like a cocoon around you so we can move you?’ Thyla offered. 

“Uh, yeah, let me try. Give me a moment please.” You asked as you closed the curtain went back to your bed and pulled a few pillows into it and flattened and stretched them out into a thinner fabric like consistency and used it to make something of boots for you and more space around you so that your limbs were more defined and you’d have a bit more “breathing room” but also more padding too. 

“Ok. I’m ready.” You told her as you came back to open the curtain see Nahlo already in the saddle and reaching a hand out to you so you could get into the saddle with him.

You tried to grab his hand but because of the thickness of his own gloves and the thickness of the coru clouds, it was hard to do. So Thyla simply laid back down so you could step over her like a horse before she stood and you simply tried to use the coru clouds to wrap around Nahlo who rode you back to the mainland, granted with a bit more difficulty because you were being pulled to the other islands but Thyla was thankfully a stronger flier than the magnetism could pull. And once over the interior, the magnetism stopped and you felt like you could finally fly up into the air from the mainland. But first, you needed to be healed from the lightning’s affliction as she flew you to specifically the electrical generator building that provided power and electricity to the entire island nation. 

“Why are we here?” You asked Thyla. 

‘You have excess electricity in your body. It’s why you’re so bright. If we slowly and gradually drain it, you should be ok.’ She answered. 

“Oh. That’s smart. I hope it works.” You answered before Nahlo opened the door and gestured for you to enter the door where everyone was working but stopped but would only look at you through their thick welding helmets that had very dark glass to protect their eyes from electrical arcs. Which you were sure you probably looked like one big arc to them. 

“Did you find my message I left at the last island?” You asked Thyla as she barely managed to squeeze herself through the door to stay with you. 

‘Yes. The electrum you made, instead of pure yellow gold- was the key to understanding what happened to you, we took it and tested it. You make a very rare kind of electrum. One that hasn’t been either created or discovered yet. But it’s definitely very special. And while I can’t read marinai, my mother did and so I was able to let her see through my eyes to read what you wrote so I could understand what you wrote.’ Thyla answered. 

“So, what did happen to me?” You asked. 

‘My grandmother can explain it to me better than I can, she too is a moura dragon. I barely understand it myself. But after we help drain what we can from you so that you at least don’t blind everyone from being so bright, I’ll take you to her and she’ll help with the rest.’ Thyla answered. 

"So what should I do?" You asked. 

‘Nahlo is going to offer an electrical cord that is hooked up to a second generator, just in case you would overload the main one.’ She answered before Nahlo did just that as he pressed it into the coru clouds, like sticking a pin through a cushion. 

‘Don’t touch it until Nahlo lets it go. The electricity coursing through you could kill him and he’s my rider, please don’t hurt or kill my rider.’ Thyla requested with a nervous laugh. 

“Would never dream of it. We’re cousins, practically family. No harm is to come to family. Family in the wing- fly free.’’ You reassured her before you made sure he let go as you looked down at the cord and hoped this would work as you grabbed it before you did so and the copper cord instantly turned into one of electrum as you watched on as it then flowed into the second generator and fully powered it as the light in the special suit you made began to dim which was a relief.

But it wouldn’t hold enough before Nahlo made the universal signal to stop before you let it go and took a step back and quickly pinched the coru cloud to cover up the hole that was stuck through only a moment before. Nahlo used special tools to pick it up and put it away. But it was obvious. You still had so much more to drain off. And while you did feel some relief. You could tell you were still carrying so much it was as if you were wearing a heavy burden in your very being. 

“Please tell me they have another one. There’s still too much in me.” You pleaded with Thyla. 

‘No. It will take at least a week or two to build another one.’ She gently shook her head no as she made a sorrowful sound. 

“But I’ll get struck by lighting again before then and I’ll be overcharged again and it won’t matter how many generators this place has, this will be a never ending cycle. What do I do?” You began to cry as a clostraphobic panic overcame you as you paced and scratched at your scalp before running your hands down your face.

‘We’ll figure it out. For now, we just need to get you to a place that will protect you from the other lightning strikes. We’ll figure this out. Nahlo is adamant that we will. And if anyone can figure this out, I trust Nahlo to do so and to do so as safely as possible.’ She comforted you as she hugged you as you hugged her in turn before the others started talking to each other in their native language. 

“What are they saying?” You asked Thyla. 

‘They’re brainstorming about how to help and what to do and how to fix you and heal you. Something about using you to power up batteries. Storebanks but for energy they use here. They come in all sizes, but most of them will fit in the palm of your hand and power much of the technology here.’ She revealed. 

“Ok.” You sighed in defeat as you wiped your tears away only for them to be benar as they glowed and shimmered with their own light just like all the other tears you had cried but had not kept. Since a moura’s first benar were seen as sacred before you could feel Thyla use her powers to see what you were seeing.

‘Nahlo politely requests to see your benar, he saw your others scattered all over the first island but he didn’t know if they were dangerous and didn’t dare to pick them up. But he’s wearing special gloves to examine them now- if you’re willing to show them to him. He thinks they will reveal more about the phenomenon that happened to you.’ Thyla said before you tore a tiny hole in the bottom in your sleeve and dropped them into his palm before pulling the coru cloud back to conceal the bright light that emitted when you did so as you could see the little gems glitter and glow in Nahlo’s hand before he went and put them into another machine to analyze them while you sat down on the floor while Thyla curled protectively around you so you didn’t feel so alone and also to comfort you.

Nahlo and the others put their hands to their heads and began to exclaim several things all at once as they pointed to them and gestured and began to talk to each other in a lot of animated language and gestures. 

‘Nahlo discovered that your benar are very special. I don’t know or understand the words he’s using to describe the properties of your benar. But he would like your permission for someone to go back to the first island to collect and study them further to get more answers for this phenomenon.’ Thyla translated. 

“Of course, they’re more than welcome to.” You answered her before Nahlo turned to the person next to him. 

‘That’s Nahlo’s brother Manidore, Nahlo is telling him where to go and to collect every single one and to come back as quickly as he can and to not keep any of them, that they need every single one to inspect and study. Because apparently they are the most valuable, precious thing they had ever encountered before, more than the electrum, which is saying something.’ Thyla said as Manidore passed you and said something to you as he did. 

‘Manidore wants to know how much you want for your benar once they’re done studying them and they’re returned to you because they are your benar after all.’ Thyla told you as Manidore seemed to pause and wait for your answer before Nahlo yelled at Manidore before Manidore ducked his head and left again. 

“All I want is to be healed and for my freedom to go home safe and sound.” You answered. 

‘That’s already a given Aurava. They have many things here that you can trade for them. But for now, you should keep them for later. Especially once we get all this excess power from you and you’ll be able to move freely without this coru cloud suit. Plus the electrum you made back on that island is worth a small fortune here too. You could get just about anything you wanted.’ Thyla giddily informed you. 

“Can it buy me answers?” You asked her. 

‘What did you want to know?’ She asked. 

“How come Neveahans and mouras are enemies?” You asked. 

‘They aren’t?’ Thyla returned in confusion. 

“Before my third and final solstice flight here in the southern lights. The instructors warned us to keep a very far distance from this place. And that Neveahans are enemies and would be very aggressive and violent towards us if we came here. That they would kill us if we did. The Neveahan dragons swore by such things.” You repeated to her. 

‘I don’t know. This is the first time I’m hearing of anything like this. You and your brethren should be welcome here, moura dragons definitely are. The Nevahans are naturally wary of strangers only because of the convergence though. But after so many moura dragons telling them that mouras are practically happy little rays of sunshine, many of the inhabitants, especially the younger generations, are wanting to go out into the world and see for themselves. But they are afraid they would not be welcome into the colonies. But at the same time, the whole nation is practically in a constant state of readiness for the spheres to be unconverged and to go home to their homeworld at any moment. So maybe it’s that they want to go home so badly, that they don’t wish to be distracted. Which is why maybe the elders here may tell any native dragon to say that to the colonies of mouras, because otherwise Neveahans may not reach out and make the first move or initiate contact so to speak.’ She mused. 

“Well if your mother has told you anything about the colonies and why mouras have them in the first place, I think if anyone would understand that dilemma- it’s us. Because every moura dreads the day the spheres un-converge. Because there is no way for those who live in the colonies to live on our natural waterworld of a homeworld. Even if only the heavenly moura were to go back, there would never be enough room for everyone. And not enough sunshine to feed everyone either, much less support any kind of cloud realm. I think if the spheres unconverged tomorrow, many would choose to either stay here, or go back to where their families that they’ve made from interbreeding call home instead.” You ventured. 

‘Then that is most likely the reason for that message getting out and getting relayed to others outside of Neveah. Like someone who is terrified of heights never even taking a step onto a ladder.’ She concluded. 

‘Otherwise, the Neveahans are happy to be in the safety of the ring of fog and storm to keep them safe from any invaders. The storms are to wreck any boats that try to come, the fog simply conceals the island as a whole since the first to come were warring and invading githyanki. Many died. And they tried to enslave the dragons themselves. Thus, why the fog and storms went up and the outer islands obviously have those magnetic cores to throw off any mechanical compass. But I know gold is precious here among these people. Surely the Neveahans should be welcoming of the moura, especially for the solstice flights at least. They would do so happily and willingly if they knew for certain that neither peoples means the other harm. And there could be a very mutually beneficial relationship if anyone were to try. Maybe the gods picked you to be the first to show the nation that others of your kind mean them no harm and will only benefit each other if there are exchanges between your people and mine.’ She said before she picked up her head and looked at Nahlo to have a conversation with him, relaying what you had told her to him. 

‘Nahlo doesn’t know why the other dragons have said that though. And neither does anyone else here. But right now, they think all mouras are like you, very bright and hot angels of high heaven or beings from the sun itself. Even now, you are like a warm blanket that has been hung by an iron oven. Very warm, but not at all painfully hot. What I would give for you to come with me so I could sleep around you while in the polar regions.’ Thyla said as she nuzzled her face next to yours which got you to giggle and hug her in turn, petting down her pretty scales. 

‘I and especially the other native moura dragons will see to it that that is set right because my mother has shown me her memories of her home in the colonies and the mouras in it and when it is my time for my own rite flight, I have every plan of going to my mother’s colony to see it for myself. But our riders do not come with us on those flights. They let us fly free during that time so that we can experience what being a wild dragon is like. But my mother has assured me that when and if Neveahans would be welcome in the colonies, mouras should definitely be welcome to come here. If anything, they should be honored guests to host the southern winter solstice flights every other year.’ She answered before Nahlo handed you the benar back before you took them back from his palm before he said something to Thyla who nodded in agreement. 

‘Come, Nahlo says that they will need more time to figure out the phenomenon and how to fix it. In the meantime my grandmother is ready and excited to see you.’ Thyla informed you before she uncurled from around you guided you out of there back outside and had you get back on her and flew you to her grandmother’s extra large barn that was more of a warehouse than anything. 

‘Here she is Grandma Isla. This is Aurava Moonchild the moura who got struck by lightning and who now makes electrum instead of gold.’ She introduced the two of you. 

“Hello Grandma Isla.” You greeted her as she seemed to chuckle. 

‘Well congratulations. You’re the luckiest being in the supersphere.’ She greeted you as she was indeed, huge. She was at least twice as big as the dragons in the caves that protected your colony. 

“I wouldn’t say lucky. Unlucky is more accurate.” You muttered. 

‘Only because you are new to this and very unique. You are one of a kind. There hasn’t been an electrum moura before. At least not that I know of or had ever heard about, even in the old homeworld.” She informed you. 

“Well we’ve only been converged for less than 500 years.” You noted. 

‘And chances are, we’ll stay that way for a good long while yet.’ Isla giggled softly. 

“So how do I fix this?” You asked. 

‘Well there’s not really a way to completely undo it. There are ways to drain your excess power. But honestly it’s a miracle you’re alive at all. But from now on, instead of turning gold, you’re going to turn what you wish to- electrum instead.' She told you plainly.

“Which all electrum is really known as- is white gold.” You muttered. 

‘Well, while your electrum is indeed a form of white gold. It’s as illustrious as platinum. It’s as strong as titanium. It’s more precious than pure platinum because while there is quite a bit true white gold and platinum. It is also half something that they just can’t identify. Even Nahlo is calling it lightning metal. Because he doesn’t know what else to call it.’ Thyla informed you but your stomach sank at the news. 

‘My Aurava, once we drain all the excess off, you shouldn’t need to be concealed by the coru clouds. But I’ll put a special spell over you so that lightning, nor the outer ring’s magnetism will no longer pose a danger to you. You will only be able to recharge from the lightning if you want to be. But you should be safe to eat and drink normally now and won’t throw off any more heat than you normally do. But the gifts that you already have with lighting will remain.’ She informed you as you nodded in understanding. 

“When I was injured and I held my own blood, the iron in my blood turned from iron to electrum. Can you please make sure none of it is still in me and poses the threat of killing me internally?” You asked. 

‘Oh absolutely!’ She readily agreed as her eyes widened both in shock and fear for you. 

“But is there anywhere in the world where electrum is even worth anything? Other than here?” You asked. 

‘Yes. Everywhere. But especially anywhere they use electricity, will be happy to have you and happily give you anything and everything you’d ever want. Electrum is usually worth much, much more than pure gold is.’ She answered. 

“Then how does that make me any different than a Doreirran moura? Always sought after for their gold and other abilities? Or our own foremothers when it was discovered they could make gold in the first place. I feel like I’m going to restart The Great Hunt. And countless mouras, will throw themselves into lightning storms and die just to gain my gifts with electrum just to get the increase in status. I could feel such desperation when I was in Dorierra myself.” You asked her in a mournful, dejected tone.  

‘I understand. You’ve wanted a life of anonymity. And I’m sorry you’re going to be deprived of that. But you’re right. You are now going to have be careful and weary of others just like your foremothers were during the Great Hunt and I completely understand and sympathize with your trepidation over such news.’ She gently broke it to you before you dropped your head in defeat even farther.  

She tore a hole into your coru cloud and filled the inside with your suit with her magic breath- which helped cover you as you felt more stabilized and less like a raw and exposed nerve as you took a deep breath of hit in and internally felt much better and much more fortified and healthier. 

‘There, now you don’t need that.’ She said before she pulled it off to reveal you standing there, your benar still falling to the ground and glittering and sparkling like little diamonds filled with light as the previous electrum metal glitter fell from all over like pixie dust. 

‘You should pick those benar up and guard them Sweetheart.’ She said before you made a pocket for yourself in your moura cloak and picked them up and put them with the others. 

‘Now you glow like the full moon but you won’t blind anyone.’ Thyla informed you. 

“Great, as if I need to stand out anymore than I already do. I look like a damn fairy or a pixie covered in pixie dust.” You sighed as you were still unable to pull your wings into yourself, but instead decided to shake yourself, your clothes and your wings out- as a cloud of glitter soon bloomed around you. 

‘Oh you poor thing, all of that was once blood?’ Isla asked as she saw it all glitter as it slowly fell to the ground, glittering like diamonds as it did. 

“Yes, I broke both wings, and hit the islands very hard. I thought I was going to bleed out, if not have an aneurysm just from the electrum in my bloodstream.” You explained. 

‘Oh my goodness, and you still dragged yourself out into shelter?’ Isla asked in astonishment as you nodded as you continued to shake your head to get all the clumps of electrum dust that had crusted there as blood out of your hair.

‘You are stronger than any other I’ve ever known. Dragons included.’ Isla praised. 

“Yeah, great first impression I’m giving too. I’m a freak of nature- is what I am. If any Neveahans go to the colonies, now they’ll be profoundly disappointed that we don’t all sparkle and glitter like fairies. I mean look at me! I look ridiculous. I look like a whole city of pixies took one giant shit of pixie dust all over me. I practically shed it like a damn house cat or a dog or something!.” You said as you continued to shake out your now baggy clothes because you had lost weight over this ordeal. Again. You were never going to get a mate at this rate. It was going to be a very long 500 year life of being hounded for your electrum as Isla and Thyla couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the fairy shit comment. 

‘Yeah, but be careful once you leave here, most will take one look at you and think you really are a normal person sized pixie or something. You’re practically enchanting.’ Isla gently warned you but her grin was, if anything, a little scheming. 

“Yeah, the last thing I need is for any idiot to assume that and think I’ll grant wishes or steal babies or cast horrible spells onto people or hypnotize people. They’ll practically hunt me down then.” You groused. 

‘No they won’t. I will make sure that doesn’t happen. But it wouldn’t surprise me if certain young men try to follow you home like lost puppies.’ Isla teased with a meaningful look at Thyla as Thyla tried to ignore her grandmother’s gaze as Thyla could not confirm or deny such things. Because of what Nahlo had seen from his little welding helmet was that you were practically a beautiful angel, fallen from the heavens as he recalled what Thyla’s mother and obviously her grandmother would say about the mouras. And how downright heavenly they were. And to him all those claims were obviously true. 

“Yeah, no. I’m way too thin, I’m ugly because out of three solstice flights, not a single other moura of anything on the range of any kind of sexual orientation expressed an interest in me. I didn’t think I was that ugly but apparently I am. Not even Dorierran mouras wanted anything to do with me. I had to watch as all the other girls were charmed and courted and lavished with attention and affection. Meanwhile, me and my ugly duckling ass was over in the corner and constantly trying to snag a waiter to even get my drink refilled. I even won a Kamoba championship while I was there. And I competeed in a gold harness that exceeded my weight and still- nothin. I got a pat on the back and ‘way to go’ in the most patronizing way possible. I have like, the worst luck in the world even before I got struck by lightning. Meanwhile almost all the first flighters practically all paired up and mated in midair. But nope, not me, I just hung out, on the end of a V from the leaders who were already married and mated by the others in the rear. So now, I get to spend the next 500 years hiding in caves to keep electrum hunting people off my tail feathers. I am never going to be able to get this off of me. I could take a hundred baths and never get it all off. Can you at least tell the others that all other mouras don’t fucking glitter like this? Like I know the heavenly moura grind up our benar to make their wings glitter but this is just plain ridiculous.” You griped as it felt like no matter what you did, you would never be free of it.  

‘But at least you don’t have to wear the really heavy coru garment.’ Thyla tried to encourage you before Nahlo finally seemed to catch up to her and came in only to see you flip back upright as you hoped the last of the electrum glitter dust came off of you as he slowly just walked towards you as he flipped his helmet up to talk to Thyra in words you didn’t understand but you understood the tone he used. 

Awe. 

Shit. 

“Thank you for doing everything you can Grandma Isla, I appreciate it. Maybe I should just try to go home now.” You offered to her. 

‘I wish I could offer you a safe flight but I know that you’d blow the power grids at the colonies the moment you tried to power down at any of them. I doubt even Dorierra would have the proper machines to drain the rest of you. Not unless they’ve been beefed up recently. You should probably stay until the excess is at least drained away so you’re no longer a danger to anything or anyone.’ Isla offered which made you frown even harder. Because that meant that only Neveah would have what you needed to power down safely but that could take who knows how long and you were practically stranded and felt like you were penniless because the moment you would turn anything else into electrum, the jig was up and everyone would be onto you. 

‘Great first impression’. You sarcastically thought to yourself. 

‘I know you want to go home. And I’m sorry you’re stranded at a place where you’ve been told you’re unwelcome. And I’m sorry that you’re about to have that reversed, especially for you and your sake. But you’re free to stay with me until it all gets straightened out and I’ll make sure all of your needs and wants are provided for. And I’ll only have my moura dragon grandkids walk you around who know marinai who will still be your translators between you and the locals. Don’t worry, your secrets are safe with me and every other dragon here and I will personally ensure you are safe and free wherever you go within a thousand mile radius of here. Don’t worry about anything. You will be taken care of, by me and everyone and anyone else you can grow to trust to do so. These are good people. They know how to still be hospitable. Let them show you the same hospitality I’m sure they would enjoy if they were to ever set foot in a colony. But Thylo is here with another solution. But after you try this new solution, he should be feeding you. Because you’re right, you’re too skinny, especially for a healthy moura. We can’t have the Neveahans thinking mouras are skeletons with skin and wings.’ She offered. 

“Thank you.” You thanked her all the same as she pushed her massive snout into your head to nuzzle you gently before you hugged her head the best you could. 

“Here, just, keep this, for…I don’t know what.” You offered her your coru garment. 

‘Thanks, it’ll be the perfect pillow for my head, ooh and it's still warm too, perfect for my afternoon nap.’ She grinned as she picked it up and put it with everything else meant to serve as a pillow for her head in her den. 

‘Aurava, they have a system of batteries all hooked up that can help drain your excess power.’ Thyla said before you nodded in understanding and simply walked beside her as she walked out of her grandmother’s barn before Isla's caretakers practically froze in place once they caught sight of you and dropped what they were holding as their mouths hung open as they stared slack jawed at you before Isla seemed to yell at them as they tried to quickly pick up what they had dropped but at least offered you a welcoming greeting which you appreciated and tried to reciprocate as Isla gave them a simple explanantion. That you were very sick, and that she had invited for you to come here to recieve help and treatment and that you were her special guest. And that if anyone had any problems with that, to take it up with her personally which, for Nahlo was a relief to hear in his own head.

Thyla had you get back onto her back and simply did her best to hide you with her wings while Nahlo took her reins and led her along as he was continuing to talk to her as he kept stealing glances at you from over his shoulder as it didn’t matter how dark you tried to make your clothes and how much you tried to hide in extra long things. Even your black clothes glowed. And Nahlo tried to ask others not to look, that you were a guest of Isla's who was sick and came here for treatment. But even he couldn’t help but look at you every now and then since he didn’t have to look at you through his own welder’s helmet.

You could faintly hear Nahlo and Thyla telepathically talking to each other, like overhearing whispers that you couldn’t quite make out as you tried to cover yourself with your own wings that instinctively tried to become armored to protect you as you swore everyone’s gazes were heavier and stronger than any magnetism by the outer ring of islands. 

Nahlo led you back to the plant to a lower level where there were nearly a whole palace’s worth of batters all hooked up to a network of wires on multiple shelves through the whole room. As you felt like it was a proverbial bee hive of and energy was the honey. But all the wires led to one spot where Nahlo gestured for you to sit down since there was a really large ‘rubber’ mat for you to sit on to insulate you further. On Thyla’s instruction you picked the bundle of wires up and once again, the copper turned to electrum, whether you wanted it to be or not.

But by the time every single battery was full, you still had excess, but still glowed just slightly less than the full moon usually did in the night sky.  

You just dropped the electrum wire and sulked while the others were quick to coil it up and keep the batteries fully charged before the coils were put next to you as you looked rather reproachfully at them. Because all of it may have been your shackles and harnesses now. 

Nahlo looked to Thyla to explain why you would look so angry and heartbroken at seeing something that was making every welder and electrician practically salivate. But once she told him, he understood and simply took a large duffle bag and put them all inside and put it next to you before he handed you a small bag that had your little stick you had made out of electrum, that was clear had a small sample taken of it for testing, along with all of your other benar from the island you crashed on as you took it and dumped them into the little pouch you had before you gave the now empty bag back to him with a polite smile.

You also appreciated that the electrum was at least out of sight but could still keep what was yours before Thyla had you put the bag on her saddle so that you wouldn’t have to carry it.

Then Nahlo finally said something but you didn’t know if he was talking to you or to Thyla. Especially as everyone else went home, leaving just Nahlo there with Thyla still laying behind you as she kept a watchful eye on everyone else since you wouldn’t raise your gaze up to look at anyone as you just brought your knees up to your chest and folded your arms over them to duck your head so you didn’t have to look at anyone.

There was a sense of relief but also a sense of frustration that while it helped, it still didn’t fix it completely as you felt like you could have done that a hundred times over and still have had extra energy. You weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. And you couldn’t be mad at anyone because it was no one’s fault. And Nahlo was obviously trying his absolute best to help.

Then crouched down next to you and repeated what he had said before, but you didn’t know if he was talking to you or Thyla as you looked up at him then looked from him to Thyla. 

‘He wants to know if you’re hungry and would like to eat something now. since it's about lunch time. If not, just a bit late for it.’ Thyla asked. 

“How am I supposed to pay for anything and not get swarmed the moment they see the electrum?” You asked her. 

‘You’re not going to be paying for anything. Nahlo says it’s his treat, especially since you just helped him and his nation out so much. You just gave enough energy to power the country for many years to come. The least he can do is feed you properly to help you bring you back to full health. The electrum will be safe and sound with me on my saddle. No one has to know who or what you are or what you’re really capable of. Only the other electricians and welders know and they’re keeping word about you pretty under wraps. So the only thing anyone will know is that you’re a visitor, my grandmother's special guest of honor- here for medical treatment. You don’t need to say from where or really why if you don’t want to.’ Thyla reassured you. 

“So the wings aren’t gonna stand out too much if we go out to eat?” You muttered. 

‘What wings?’ She pointed out with a grin before you looked behind you to see your wings had receded to a degree to be like glowing tattoos over your body as you smiled happily that you didn’t have to carry the big heavy wings with you anymore. You blew out a breath of relief and laid back and smiled and couldn’t help but laugh in relief to feel the cool rubber pad behind you.

"Can you scratch my back please?" You asked Thyla.

'Absolutely.' She beamed as you got up and had Thyla “scratch” your back with her face like the way most horses did and you braced yourself against one of the stands for the batteries while she obliged as you tried not moan and keen too loudly in pleasured relief as she did before your itchy back was finally relieved of it’s itchiness only to turn around and couldn’t help but laugh when her face was absolutely covered with the electrum glitter because your back had gotten the most banged up. 

“I’m so sorry.” You apologized in between a giggle as you tried to use your sleeve to wipe it all off. 

‘It’s ok. Trust me, if anyone knows the feeling of having a spot on your body that needs to be scratched that you can’t reach- it’s me.’ Thyla smiled as she let you do what you could but you felt like you just smeared it all over her even more. 

“I think I’m making it worse.” You said before Nahlo came over with a wet washcloth and helped wipe it clean. 

“Thank you. And yes, I would like to eat now.” You thanked him bashfully as you avoided his gaze as he said something that the tone was similar to ‘no problem, it’s ok’ before you finally worked up the courage to look up to him and give him an appreciative smile. Because even if he didn’t speak your language, you could tell he was genuinely a really good guy. And he was just trying to help. So you would let him help. 

[thecandywrites]

Monster March 2024 Masterlist

Monster March 2024 is here baby! It is inspired of course by the amazing @borealwrites and their Monster March 2024 Prompt List.

However, because the I started working on some of these prompts well before the list was released- And because prompt lists change from year to year, I have some stories that aren't a "perfect" fit for the prompt. But are usually prompt adjascent. A lot of them are continuences from the 2023 stories, and in that case there will be links to the previous parts of these stories. However, a fair amount are new stories just for this year. Enjoy.

Monster March 2024

Day 1- Robot/Android/Cyborg/Automaton- In a Flash New!

Day 2- Dragon (born)- Dragon Heart Festival Part 1, Part 2! Continued!

Day 3- Extra-Dimenstional Being- Glass Cannon Part 1- . New!

Day 4- Humanoid Animal- Rakshasa- What to Bring to A Table Part 1, Making Two Tables into One Part 2, Part 3. Continued!

Day 5-Taurs - The Velvet Spa - New!

Day 6- Doppleganger/ Adjacent - Spring Fling Part 1, New!

Day 7- Succubus/Incubus/Concubus- The Lotus House Part 1, Part 2 Continued!

Day 8- Licht/Frankenstien's Monster- Paper Dolls-New!

Day 9- Pixie/Fairy- Part 1, Part 2- Continued!

Day 10- Fae- Coronation Day- The Lion and The Lamb- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4- Continued!

Day 11- Angel- Adjacent- Angelicos Fortunadas New!

Day 12- Naga/Lamia- Adjacent - A Prince Charming for Princess- New!

Day 13- Vampire- Adjacent- The Golden Path- New!

Day 14- Minotaur- River and Rane New!

Day 15- Slimeperson/Symbiote- Rhovall and Evabeth New!

Day 16- Djinn/Elemental- Gemling- New!

Day 17- Ghost/Spirit- Talisman Continued!

Day 18- Merperson- Selkie and Onikuma New!

Day 19- Demon- Adjacent- Speed Demon - New!

Day 20- Alien- Jika- Hazi and Klip- Part 1, Part2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, New!

Day 21- Shapeshifter- A Mother's Touch- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Continued!

Day 22- Alrune- Adjacent- Fairy Wings For An Imperial Prince New!

Day 23- Werewolf- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 Kabluey! Continued!

Day 24- Satyr- Morning, Dove New!

Day 25- Harpy- Adjacent- Moonlight Moura, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Refurbished.

Day 26- Drider- Drider Silk Brocade Part 1, Drider Silk Velvet Part 2- Continued!

Day 27- Giant- Hemi and Pix Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4- Continued!

Day 28- Cryptid- OkCryptid- New!

Day 29- Sphinx- Adjacent- Blue Lotus

Day 30- Forest Spirit- My Star of Purple- New!

Day 31- Free Day- The Hunt New!